ULA Will Launch NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft ‘in the Sky With Diamonds’ to Study Asteroids

By  //  February 4, 2019

Lucy named for earliest human ancestor, which was named for Beatles song

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft — named for humans’ earliest known ancestor, and designed to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids — will launch from Cape Canaveral in 2021 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V. (NASA image)

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – NASA’s Lucy spacecraft — named for humans’ earliest known ancestor, and designed to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids — will launch from Cape Canaveral in 2021 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V.

ULA officials announced Thursday the Atlas V was selected by NASA to launch the Lucy spacecraft, named for the skeleton of “Lucy,” which provided critical information about human evolution.

ULA was awarded the launch contract in a competitive contract bid for the NASA mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program will oversee the launch contract.

University of Central Florida professor of physics Daniel Britt, who specializes in mineralogy of asteroids, is among the members serving on Lucy’s science team.

Lucy is currently scheduled to lift off sometime in October 2021 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Lockheed Martin in Denver will build the spacecraft.

The mission will study the asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter that are likely a time capsule from the birth of our solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago.

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