The Deep Impact Mission flight schedule was approximately 6 months, but the many milestones between early planning and the end of the project last over 6 years. This timeline was created prior to impact with comet Tempel 1.

Learn more about the mission through our Fact Sheet.

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Deep Impact Mission Events
Earth-receive time (in PDT)

July 2, 2005, 11:07 p.m: Impactor released into comet's path
July 3, 2005, 9:22 p.m.: 1st impactor targeting maneuver
July 3, 2005, 10:17 p.m.: 2nd impactor targeting maneuver
July 3, 2005, 10:39 p.m.: 3rd impactor targeting maneuver
July 3, 2005, 10:52:24 p.m.: Impact with Tempel 1
July 3, 2005, 11:05 p.m.: Flyby goes into shield mode
July 3, 2005, 11:06 p.m.: Flyby's closest approach to Tempel 1
July 20, 2005: Trajectory Correction Maneuver 8
July 25-29, 2005: Science team retreat
August 7-12, 2005: Asteroids, Comets, Meteors triennial meeting
August 9, 2005: Deep Impact goes into Deep Sleep
September 4-9, 2005: American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Sciences
October 31 - November 4, 2005: Science team meeting
January 2006: Delivery of data to Planetary Data System