A journey to the beginnings of the Solar System

Dawn

Mis­sion to Ves­ta and Ceres

NASA's Dawn spacecraft was launched on 27 September 2007, and has been in space for nearly 11 years exploring the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They are the most massive objects of the asteroid belt and are located between Mars and Jupiter. Since their formation four and a half billion years ago, the two bodies have probably changed little and are therefore ideal to take a look far into the past, almost back to the dawn of our cosmic home.

The historic mission, which had been extended several times and far exceeded the expectations of the scientists, came to an end on 31 October 2018: radio contact with the probe stopped because it had run out of fuel as expected. But the data acquired until that moment will keep the scientists busy for a long time to come.

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Dawn – one mission, two heavenly bodies
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft was launched on 27 September 2007. On 16 July 2011, it arrived at the asteroid Vesta, which it explored until 5 September 2012. The spacecraft then departed for the dwarf planet Ceres, where it will arrive on 6 March 2015. The Dawn mission is the first to successively study two celestial bodies from orbit.
Image: 1/42, Credit:

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA.

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An encounter with Ceres
The NASA Dawn spacecraft will arrive at the dwarf planet Ceres on 6 March 2015. Once there, it will record the surface with the German-developed Framing Camera. This image was acquired from a distance of 237,000 kilometres from the dwarf planet.
Image: 2/42, Credit:

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA.

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Dawn spacecraft with a nebula in the background
About four and a half billion years ago, the Main Belt asteroids formed from a disk of dust and ice particles over the course of only about 10 million years. They include Ceres (right), the largest dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt – with a diameter of nearly 1000 kilometres, and Vesta (to the left of the Dawn spacecraft), the third largest body. The representations of the two asteroids are based on images acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope, artistically modified in accordance with scientific criteria. The background image is also based on realistic assumptions and was created by the planetary researcher William Hartmann from the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson (Arizona).
Image: 42/42, Credit:

UCLA/Bill Hartmann.

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Background articles

Trav­el­ling to the dawn of the So­lar Sys­tem

The Dawn spacecraft set off on en route to Vesta and Ceres, the two most massive objects in the main asteroid belt, on 27 September 2007, propelled by its ion engines. Vesta was thoroughly studied in 2011 and 2012; Ceres is now one of the last big 'unknown' bodies in the inner Solar System – only Pallas, which has a diameter of over 500 kilometres, has not yet been visited by an orbiter.

Sci­en­tif­ic ob­jec­tives of the mis­sion

Dawn is an exceptionally exciting mission for planetary researchers. Vesta and Ceres bear witness to the time in which the planets in the Solar System were formed. It is thought that the two bodies have hardly changed since their formation, four and a half billion years ago. They are ideal research objects for catching a glimpse of the past of our 'cosmic neighbourhood'.

Dawn mis­sion in­stru­ments

The Dawn spacecraft is carrying a total of three scientific experiments on board. Alongside the camera system, which will acquire images of the surface of the asteroids, measurements will be carried out with a spectrometer as well as a gamma ray and neutron detector.

Ger­man cam­era on board

The camera system on board Dawn is Germany's contribution to the mission. Two identical models of the Framing Camera are installed on the spacecraft – an important safety factor because should one of the two cameras fail, the other will guarantee the smooth progress of the mission.

As­ter­oids in 3D – da­ta pro­cess­ing at DLR

The Framing Camera on board the Dawn spacecraft will acquire images of the surface of Vesta and Ceres from various perspectives and under changing light conditions. These images will then provide the basis for creating 3D models of the asteroids.

The ion propul­sion sys­tem

Unlike most interplanetary probes, Dawn is not propelled by a chemical rocket engine, but by a solar-electric ion propulsion system, particularly suitable for long-distance flights. This innovative propulsion concept was first used in 1998 on NASA’s Deep Space 1 mission to Comet Borrelly.

Ves­ta and Ceres: born at the same time and yet so dif­fer­ent

Asteroids, also known as minor planets, differ greatly in shape and size. Those with which we are more familiar are in almost all cases crater-strewn irregularly shaped bodies that can even have tiny moons.

Downloads

Brochure: Dawn (2011)

1.3 MB | PDF

Mission to the Asteroids Vesta and Ceres

Participating DLR institutes and facilities

Institute of Planetary Research

Institute of Space Systems

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Contact

Falk Dambowsky

Head of Media Relations, Editor
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Corporate Communications
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne
Tel: +49 2203 601-3959

Ulrich Köhler

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Planetary Research
Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin