Lucy

Spacecraft at asteroid. — Artist's concept of Lucy spacecraft at Trojan asteroid.

Goals	Lucy will explore six Trojan asteroids, a unique family of asteroids that orbit the Sun in front of and behind Jupiter.
Proposed Launch	October 2021
Science Targets	Jupiter Trojans, Asteroids
Type	Multiple Flyby
Agency	NASA
Mission Website	https://www.nasa.gov/lucy

Related News

After months grappling with the rugged reality of asteroid Bennu’s surface, the team leading NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission has selected four potential sites.

NASA Mission Selects Final Four Site Candidates for Asteroid Sample Return

Twenty-five years ago, humanity first witnessed a collision between a comet and a planet.

How Historic Jupiter Comet Impact Led to Planetary Defense

NASA has selected eight new research teams to collaborate on research into the intersection of space science and human space exploration as part of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI).

NASA Selects Teams to Study Our Moon, Mars' Moons, and More

NASA has selected three finalists among a dozen concepts for future small satellites.

Small Satellite Concept Finalists Target Moon, Mars and Beyond

After nearly 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope will be switched off permanently on Jan. 30, 2020.

How NASA's Spitzer Has Stayed Alive for So Long

DART – NASA’s first mission to demonstrate a planetary defense technique – will get one chance to hit its target, the small moonlet in the binary asteroid system Didymos.

NASA's First Planetary Defense Technology Demonstration to Collide with Asteroid in 2022

On April 13, 2029, asteroid Apophis will cruise harmlessly by Earth at distance of about 19,000 miles (31,000 kilometers). Scientists are already planning observations and science opportunities for the event.

Scientists Planning Now for Asteroid Flyby a Decade Away

Next week at the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference, NASA’s PDCO and other U.S. agencies and space science institutions, along with international partners, will participate in a “tabletop exercise” that will play out a realistic—but fictional—scenario for an asteroid on an impact trajectory with Earth.

NASA, FEMA, International Partners Plan Asteroid Impact Exercise

Five years of data have significantly advanced scientists' knowledge of asteroids and comets in our solar system, as well as the stars and galaxies beyond.

NEOWISE Celebrates Five Years of Asteroid Data

A small asteroid has been caught in the process of spinning so fast it’s throwing off material.

Hubble Watches Spun-Up Asteroid Coming Apart

Bennu has revealed itself to be more rugged than expected, challenging the mission team to alter its flight and sample collection plans, due to the rough terrain.

NASA Mission Reveals Asteroid Has Big Surprises

Just as dust gathers in corners and along bookshelves in our homes, dust piles up in space too. But when the dust settles in the solar system, it’s often in rings.

What Scientists Found After Sifting Through Dust in the Solar System

Whether you're doing it for the nerd cred or the pie, this week on #10Things, we've got all the ways you can celebrate #PiDay with NASA.

10 Ways to Celebrate Pi Day with NASA on March 14

By looking at the Moon, the most complete and accessible chronicle of the asteroid collisions that carved our young solar system, a group of scientists is challenging our understanding of a part of Earth’s history.

NASA's Moon Data Sheds Light on Earth's Asteroid Impact History

On December 31, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft entered into orbit around the asteroid Bennu, and made Bennu the smallest object ever to be orbited by a spacecraft.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Enters Close Orbit Around Bennu, Breaking Record

The asteroid will fly safely past Earth on Saturday, Dec. 22, at a distance of about 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers).

Holiday Asteroid Imaged with NASA Radar

Recently analyzed data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has revealed water locked inside the clays that make up its scientific target, the asteroid Bennu.

NASA's Newly Arrived OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Already Discovers Water on Asteroid

On New Year's Day 2019, NASA's New Horizons will fly by a distant Kuiper Belt Object—and open a new chapter in how we define our place in the cosmos.

To Ultima and Beyond: Our Solar System's Small Worlds

As OSIRIS-REx closes in on its target destination, the asteroid Bennu, anticipation is building for the first-ever, closeup glimpse of this prominent clump of rock. Meet a few members of our team.

People of OSIRIS-REx

Here’s a lineup of the various kinds of small bodies that orbit the Sun and sometimes impact planets and each other.

The Usual Suspects: a Rogues Gallery of Asteroids, Comets and Other Witnesses to History

Small worlds witnessed dramatic changes in our solar system that occurred long before humans. Here's how we're studying them.

Cosmic Detective Work: Why We Care About Space Rocks

NASA will host a live Science Chat at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 7, to discuss upcoming encounters of two of the agency’s planetary missions, New Horizons and OSIRIS-REx.

NASA Hosts Science Chat on Two Upcoming Out-of-this-World Encounters

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has gone silent, ending a historic mission that studied time capsules from the solar system's earliest chapter.

NASA's Dawn Mission to Asteroid Belt Comes to End

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has gone silent, ending a historic mission that studied time capsules from the solar system's earliest chapter. Here are some great shots from its extended mission in the main asteroid belt.

10+ Great Shots from the Dawn Mission

NASA has given approval for the implementation and 2021 launch of the Lucy spacecraft to the Trojan asteroids.

NASA's Mission to Jupiter's Trojans Given the Green Light for Development

Click for more

Pluto Dazzles in False Color

Click for more

Our Solar System Poster - Version A

Click for more

King Moon