NASA spacecraft expected to have close encounter with asteroid

Published: Friday, April 18, 2025 at 10:03 pm

**NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Gears Up for Asteroid Flyby: A Solar System Time Capsule**

Get ready for a close encounter! NASA's Lucy spacecraft is preparing for a thrilling flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson this weekend. This isn't just a casual visit; it's a crucial dress rehearsal for Lucy's main mission: exploring the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter, remnants from the early solar system.

Launched in 2021, Lucy is on a grand quest to study 11 space rocks, offering scientists a unique opportunity to understand how planets formed billions of years ago. This weekend's encounter with Donaldjohanson, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, will provide valuable data. The spacecraft will zoom past at over 30,000 mph, getting as close as 596 miles to the asteroid, which is estimated to be about 2 miles long.

Scientists are eager to learn more about Donaldjohanson's shape and size, as it's believed to be a fragment from a major collision. Lead scientist Hal Levison of the Southwest Research Institute anticipates the asteroid could resemble a bowling pin, a snowman, or even be two separate, elongated objects. The flyby will be a silent one, with Lucy turning its antenna away from Earth to focus on tracking the asteroid. Data transmission will take 12 minutes each way, adding to the anticipation.

This encounter follows Lucy's successful flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh in 2023, where it discovered a mini-moon. The ultimate goal? To reach the Trojan asteroids, which share Jupiter's orbit, between 2027 and 2033. These ancient space rocks hold vital clues to the solar system's origins.

Keywords: NASA, Lucy spacecraft, asteroid, Donaldjohanson, Trojan asteroids, Jupiter, solar system, flyby, space exploration, asteroid belt, Dinkinesh, Hal Levison, planetary science, space rocks, early solar system.

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