Dawn

Mission overview

Dawn was the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies, the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres.

Used ion propulsion to study Vesta and Ceres, finding bright salt deposits on Ceres.

Mission	Type	Agency	Launch	Status
MESSENGERMercury	Orbiter	NASA	2004-08-03	Completed
InSightMars	Lander	NASA	2018-05-05	Completed
LucyJupiter Trojan asteroids	Multiple flyby	NASA	2021-10-16	Active
PsycheAsteroid 16 Psyche	Orbiter	NASA	2023-10-13	En route
Kepler Space TelescopeEarth-trailing solar orbit	Space telescope	NASA	2009-03-07	Completed

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

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