JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo

Dawn

Dawn

Dawn orbited the protoplanet Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres as part of its mission to characterize the conditions and processes that shaped our solar system.

Visit Mission Website

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

Sept. 27, 2007

Type

Orbiter

Target

Exoplanets

Status

Past

About the mission

Dawn orbited the protoplanet Vesta and is now in orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres as part of its mission to characterize the conditions and processes that shaped our solar system. Vesta and Ceres are the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. By studying these two giant remnants from the epoch of planet formation, Dawn will provide scientists with new knowledge of how the solar system formed and evolved.

Thanks to its ion propulsion system, Dawn is the only spacecraft ever to have the capability to orbit two extraterrestrial destinations.

Dawn's science investigations at Vesta result in a number of findings about the protoplanet:

  • Vesta is more closely related to the terrestrial planets (including Earth) than to typical asteroids. Like planets, it has a dense core, surrounded by a mantle and a crust.
  • Vesta has a crater more than 300 miles in diameter. In the center is a mountain more than twice the height of Mount Everest.
  • Vesta has a network of more than 90 chasms -- some with dimensions rivaling those of the Grand Canyon -- that are scars from two giant impacts hundreds of miles away.
  • Vesta is the source of more meteorites on Earth than Mars or the moon.

Instruments

  • Camera
  • Gamma ray spectrometer
  • Neutron spectrometer
  • Visible mapping spectrometer
  • Infrared mapping spectrometer
  • Gravity measurements (using telecommunications subsystem and Deep Space Network)

Mission Highlights

Feb. 17, 2009

Dawn flies by Mars on its way to the main asteroid belt.

July 15, 2011

Dawn enters orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta, becoming the first probe ever to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn spends 14 months in orbit, fully imaging the surface, taking pictures in stereo, measuring the composition and temperature, determining the interior structure, and searching for moons. It uses its ion propulsion system to spiral down to an altitude of only 130 miles (210 kilometers).

Sept. 4, 2012

Dawn departs Vesta.

March 6, 2015

: Dawn enters orbit around dwarf planet Ceres to begin science investigations.

Sept. 27, 2017

: Dawn Celebrates 10 Years of Spaceflight

Nov. 1, 2018

: End of Mission
Exoplanets target

More about Solar System

News .

Historic Wind Tunnel Facility Testing NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle Rocket

News .

NASA Releases Independent Review’s Mars Sample Return Report

News .

Autonomous Systems Help NASA’s Perseverance Do More Science on Mars

News .

Venus on Earth: NASA’s VERITAS Science Team Studies Volcanic Iceland

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Reaches Mars Ridge Where Water Left Debris Pileup

Image .

Curiosity's Path to Gediz Vallis Ridge and Beyond

Image .

Curiosity Views Gediz Vallis Ridge

Image .

Rendering Depicts Curiosity at Gediz Vallis Ridge

QUIZZES .

Space Trivia

News .

NASA to Discuss Optical Communications Demo Riding With Psyche

› Blog: Dawn Journal
› Mission Website
› NASA Dawn Website
› Dawn Blog
› Dawn on Twitter

Explore Other Missions

Cassini-Huygens

Europa Clipper

Genesis

Juno

Europa Lander

Magellan

Galileo

GRAIL

Infrared Astronomical Satellite

Mariner 1

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018