NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has become the first spacecraft to enter a region of asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun. The spacecraft reached this region after travelling more than 2.2 billion miles since its launch on October 16, 2021.
Its mission is to study these ancient space objects, known as Jupiter Trojan asteroids, according to NASA .
Which Asteroids Will Lucy Visit Next
The region contains thousands of asteroids that move around the Sun along with Jupiter. Scientists hope that studying these asteroids will help them understand how the solar system formed and how its planets reached their present positions. The first group of asteroids travels ahead of Jupiter, near L4, while the second group follows behind the planet, near L5. Both groups are held in place by the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Jupiter. Scientists are preparing the spacecraft, its instruments and the mission team for this meeting. After its encounter with Eurybates, Lucy will continue its journey to study other Jupiter Trojan asteroids. This will help send it towards Jupiter’s second group of Trojan asteroids.
The spacecraft’s first close encounter with a Trojan asteroid, Eurybates, is planned for August 11, 2027. In 2030, the spacecraft will return to Earth for its third and final gravity assist.
