Technology



Advanced Technologies

Mission

Spacecraft


MISSION

It was decided early in the New Millennium Program's conception of missions that a complete testing and proving out of the technologies would require flying them on missions that bore strong resemblance to science missions of the future.

Another constraint on the missions derives from the need to return results promptly to future users about whether or not the technologies work in space. With Deep Space 1, it was decided that the primary mission should last no longer than about one year. This allows sufficient time to conduct an exciting mission and to exercise the technologies under a wide range of conditions without forcing eager potential users to wait unreasonably long before being confident about their use.

  • Deep Space 1 successfully launched on October 24, 1998 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

  • Its first destination was the near-Earth asteroid Braille (formerly known as 1992 KD). Deep Space 1 flew by this asteroid on July 28, 1999.

  • The primary mission ends on September 18, 1999, by which time Deep Space 1 will have completed its mission of demonstrating new technologies.

  • At that time, it may be on a new trajectory to encounter Comets Wilson-Harrington and Borrelly.



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