NASA’s Lucy mission, the first spacecraft flying to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids

• NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will launch on October 16 for a 12-year journey to Jupiter.
• The mission's goal is to discover more about the formation of the solar system and to learn more about Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. 

NASA is getting ready for its Lucy mission, which is set to launch next week on October 16th.This will be the first mission to investigate Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, as well as the first to examine multiple independent solar system targets. The Lucy mission is NASA's longest mission to date, lasting 12 years.

How to watch NASA's Lucy mission:

Next Tuesday, on October 16, Lucy will launch from Earth. It'll take off on an Atlas V 401 rocket. The launch is set for 2:34 a.m. PT, which corresponds to 3:04 p.m. IST for Indian viewers. This link will take you to NASA TV, where you can watch the livestream.

What are Trojan asteroids?

Trojan asteroids are named after Greek gods and goddesses. These are largely asteroids that were left over from the solar system's birth. According to NASA, two swarms of Trojan asteroids orbit the sun, one preceding Jupiter and the other following Jupiter in its orbit around the sun. These asteroids are described as clusters of rock grains and exotic ices that didn’t become planets when the solar system formed. This is why the Trojans are regarded as the most reliable source of information about the creation of the solar system.

How the mission helps?

The Trojan asteroids will be studied closely by NASA's spacecraft, which will help scientists understand more about how our solar system's planets originated 4.5 billion years ago and how they arrived up in their current configuration. Scientists will use Lucy's black and white cameras to count the number of craters on asteroid surfaces, allowing them to understand more about the ecosystems in which the asteroids lived billions of years ago.

LUCY MISSION:

The spaceship will fly by Earth twice before using the planet's gravity to propel itself toward the Trojans. The Lucy mission will take 12 years to complete. Lucy is scheduled to sail through Donaldjohanson, an asteroid belt object orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, in 2025. By August 2026, the spacecraft will have reached the first swarm of Trojans. It will fly over Polymele in September 2027, Leucus in 2028, and Orus in November 2028.

 LUCY MISSION LOGO

Lucy will then swing back past Earth for a third gravity assist to Jupiter's other side. In 2033, it will meet Ptroclus and Meonetius here. Lucy's 12-year trip is predicted to conclude in one of two ways:

1. As an artefact returned to Earth, 
2. As a slingshot into the sun or out of the solar system by Jupiter.