NASA's Lucy mission blasts off to unlock mysteries of the solar system

The spacecraft will explore a group of asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit and have never been seen up close before.

NASA's 12-year Lucy mission will explore seven asteroids near Jupiter, including the binary system Patroclus and Menoetius, providing humankind with its first glimpses of the enigmatic Jupiter Trojans.
Monica Serrano and Ronald Paniagua

Beyond the main asteroid belt, alongside the gargantuan planet Jupiter, hundreds of thousands of unexplored worlds, each smaller than 140 miles across, hold precious secrets of our solar system’s birth.

A new NASA mission called Lucy launched October 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to embark on a voyage to study these asteroids, known as the Jupiter Trojans. During the 12-year, four-billion mile journey, Lucy will periodically dip into two swarms of asteroids that lead and trail Jupiter as it orbits the sun, flying by a total of seven Trojans—as well as a bonus eighth asteroid in the main belt, between Mars and Jupiter.

“Lucy will explore a region in our solar system never explored before,”

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