Lucy

Mission

Lucy

• Type: Robotic Exploration
• Orbit: Heliocentric N/A
• Launch Cost: $115,000,000

Lucy is the first mission to explore and study Trojan asteroids. The Trojans are a type of asteroids that orbit the Sun in two groups, in front of and behind Jupiter in its orbit around our star. Since these asteroids have been in such stable orbits for billions of years, they are of great interest as remnants of early Solar System.
Lucy is a NASA mission led by NASA Goddard and Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Over the course of 12 years, Lucy will fly by seven different Trojan asteroids and also one main belt asteroid. The complex trajectory to visit all targets will include several Earth gravity assists.

Location

Space Launch Complex 41

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Find the best place to watch the launch from Florida

Space Launch Complex 41 has witnessed the launch of 115 rockets, including 115 orbital launch attempts. While Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA, has been the site for 1027 rocket launches.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.

Rocket

United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401

An Atlas V with a 4 meter diameter fairing, no boosters and a single centaur upper stage engine.

Learn more about the Atlas V 401

Agency

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.