Lucy will perform the first reconnaissance of the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, a large population of objects whose dark surfaces may be rich in organic materials. Trojans, which may have originated in the Kuiper belt, could hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system. Lucy was launched in 2021. During its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one main belt asteroid, and seven Trojans. No other space mission in history has been launched to as many different destinations in independent orbits around our Sun.
The Lucy mission, will be the first reconnaissance of the Jupiter Trojans - objects that hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the Solar System. Taking advantage of a fortuitous orbital configuration, Lucy will perform an exhaustive landmark investigation that visits six of these primitive asteroids, covering both the L4 and L5 swarms, all the known taxonomic types, the largest remnant of the only known Trojan disruptive collisional family and a nearly equal mass binary. It will use a suite of high-heritage remote sensing instruments to map the geology, surface color and composition, thermal and other physical properties of its targets at close range. Thus, Lucy, like the human fossil for which it is named, will revolutionize the understanding of our origins.
Related Publications
2025.
"Lucy Mission Search Plans for Activity around Its Jovian Trojan Flyby Targets.",
The Planetary Science Journal,
6
(7):
177
[10.3847/psj/ade707]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2025.
"Lucy L′Ralph In-flight Calibration and Results at (152830) Dinkinesh.",
The Planetary Science Journal,
6
(1):
7
[10.3847/psj/ad9921]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2024.
"A contact binary satellite of the asteroid (152830) Dinkinesh.",
Nature,
629
(8014):
1015-1020
[10.1038/s41586-024-07378-0]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2024.
"The First Lucy Earth Flyby (EGA1).",
Space Science Reviews,
220
(1):
3
[10.1007/s11214-023-01034-1]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2023.
"L’Ralph: A Visible/Infrared Spectral Imager for the Lucy Mission to the Trojans.",
Space Science Reviews,
219
(8):
69
[10.1007/s11214-023-01009-2]
[Journal Article/Letter]
