Small-body mission · NASA / JPL

Dawn

A NASA Discovery mission and the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies — it used ion propulsion to orbit the giant asteroid 4 Vesta and then the dwarf planet 1 Ceres, the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt.

CompletedOrbiter Mission Rendezvous Mission

This is the small-body-missions view of Dawn. See its main mission page for the full profile.

Targets & sample

Target bodies:4 Vesta Ceres

Mission & science

Goals: Orbit and compare Vesta and Ceres to understand the earliest epochs of the Solar System.
Engineering milestones: First to orbit Vesta (2011) and Ceres (2015); first to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies.
Science discoveries: Confirmed Vesta as the parent of the HED meteorites; found bright carbonate deposits and possible subsurface brine on Ceres.
Outcome: Complete success.

Knowledge connections

Target of4 Vesta
Target ofCeres
Operated byNASA
Part of programDiscovery Program
Mission target4 Vesta
Mission targetCeres
VisitedCeres
Visited4 Vesta
Member of groupOrbiter Mission
Member of groupRendezvous Mission
Launched byDelta II
Operated byNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Orbited4 Vesta
OrbitedCeres
Associated withLaunch & Cruise
Carries instrumentDawn Framing Camera
Associated withOccator Crater
Associated withAhuna Mons
Associated withRheasilvia

Sources

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

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

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Mission & science

Goals

Orbit and compare Vesta and Ceres to understand the earliest epochs of the Solar System.

Engineering milestones

First to orbit Vesta (2011) and Ceres (2015); first to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies.

Science discoveries

Confirmed Vesta as the parent of the HED meteorites; found bright carbonate deposits and possible subsurface brine on Ceres.

Outcome

Complete success.

Sources

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

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics

Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.