Nasa’s Lucy mission is a critical milestone in its development: all components of the spacecraft passed a system integration combat (SIR) on July 27, and it can now be assembled and tested in preparation for its launch in October 2021.
If its mission succeeds, Lucy will be the first spacecraft to explore the Trojan asteroids. These ancient space rocks share the same orbit as Jupiter, and are thought to be composed of the same material that the gas giants of the outer solar system made. During his 12-year mission, Lucy will fly through seven Trojan asteroids, collecting data to help reveal the formation history of the entire solar system.
Last month, the Psyche asteroid mission of Nasa announced its critical design outcome. This will allow engineers to start creating different parts of the spaceship. The SIR is the next major milestone in the life cycle of a mission. It takes place when all parts are made and tested separately.
The Lucy mission is led by the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
