Join
Renew Donate

Dawn Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Asteroid Vesta July 15

Share:

Facebook
X
Pinterest
LinkedIn

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft will enter orbit around the second most massive (but third largest) asteroid in the asteroid belt at around 10 pm Pacific Daylight Time Friday July 15. It will stay in orbit around Vesta for about a year and then move on to orbit the largest asteroid, Ceres. This demanding mission profile is made possible by using ion propulsion.

Vesta as imaged on July 9 by the Dawn spacecraft, courtesy NASA
Vesta as imaged on July 9 by the Dawn spacecraft, courtesy NASA

Vesta

Dimensions: About 578 by 560 by 458 kilometers (359 by 348 by 285 miles) – about the length of Arizona
Rotation: Once every 5 hours, 20 minutes
Composition: Rocky

Ceres

Size: 975 by 909 kilometers (606 by 565 miles)
Rotation: Once every 9 hours, 4.5 minutes
Composition: Believed to have large quantities of ice

More information.

Share:

Facebook
X
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Picture of By National Space Society

By National Space Society

Picture of National Space Society

National Space Society

All Posts

Leave a Comment

Don't Miss a Beat!

Be the first to know when new articles are posted!

Search
Categories

Follow Us On Social Media

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin

JOIN THE
GREATEST ADVENTURE

Give The Gift Of Space: Membership For Friends and Family
Give The Gift Now

Book Review

Archives


Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, McLean, Virginia
June 4 - 7, 2026
Click Here

Recent Blog Posts

Read More

Guest Essay By Troy Bird Image: Soujourner on Mars in 1997, which helped inspire Troy when he was 15 years old. This past April 1st,...

One (more) Small Step for Mankind

Sojourner on Mars
Read More

Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Douglas G. Adler Title: Space Ace: A Combat Pilot’s Journey from Vietnam to Beyond Earth Author: Robert “Hoot” Gibson Format: Hardcover/Kindle...

Book Review: Space Ace

space ace
Read More

The 44th Annual International Space Development Conference will be held in McLean, VA, June 4-7, 2026 The National Space Society is pleased to announce that...

Apollo 17 Astronaut Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt to Receive the Inaugural NSS Apollo Legacy Award at the NSS ISDC Conference

Jack Schmitt
Read More

OPINION By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent Image: New Glenn Second Stage (Credit: Blue Origin) When Blue Origin’s New Glenn 3 mission (NG-3) suffered...

The New Glenn 3 Anomaly in Historical Perspective

New Glenn Second Stage
Read More

By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent (Updated post) I was at Jetty Park this morning with fellow NSS member Fred Becker to witness the...

New Glenn 3 Is a Step Toward Reusability with an Incomplete Mission

NG 3 first stage landing
Read More

Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: Casey Suire Title: Return to Launch: Florida and America’s Space Industry Author: Stephen C. Smith Format: Hardcover/Kindle Pages: 348 Publisher: University...

Book Review: Return to Launch

Return to Launch
Read More

By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent NSS Managing Director of Membership More than half a century after the last Apollo astronauts left the Moon’s...

Planet Earth, You Are a Crew: The Meaning and Impact of Artemis II

Astronauts return to Houston
Read More

Now we must focus on continued forward-looking goals In the evening of April 10, the Artemis 2 mission concluded with a flawless reentry and splashdown...

The National Space Society Welcomes the Crew of Artemis 2 Home

Arrtemis II Splashdown
NSS Logo RGB

Empowering the Spacefaring Future: Connect and Advocate

JOIN
RENEW
DONATE NOW

Keep in Touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin

Your Doorway to New Worlds

Or Join Now