NASA’s Lucy mission has grown beyond its original parameters of studying the Trojan asteroids. In January 2023, a near-Earth asteroid called Dinkinesh was added to Lucy’s roster. The name “Dinkinesh” is Ethiopian for Lucy which translates to “you are marvelous.”
Although the asteroid is small – under a kilometer in diameter – Dinkinesh will play a pivotal role as a test of Lucy’s high-speed imaging capabilities. Lucy’s flyby images of Dinkinesh will also provide valuable data of how asteroids change once they leave the asteroid belt and travel closer to Earth.
Red Canyon is a proud contributor to Lucy’s flight software. Check out the links below to learn more about Dinkinesh, Lucy’s busy mission schedule, and Red Canyon’s contributions!
Meet Dinkinesh: Asteroid targeted by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft gets a marvelous name
NASA’s Lucy Asteroid Target Gets a Name
Lucy – Twelve Years, Ten Asteroids, One Spacecraft
NASA’s Solar System Exploration – Missions – Lucy
Red Canyon’s 9/24/2021 Space Fact – Lucy is Less than a Month to Launch
