Previous Newsletters

Dawn Mission Timeline

Christopher T. Russell
Dawn Principal Investigator, UCLA

Now that launch and checkout are behind us, the team is focusing their energy on planning for the Mars Gravity Assist (MGA) in Feb 2009, and orbiting Vesta, due to start in 2011. During the MGA, the spacecraft will flyby Mars at an altitude of about 500 km. Instrument data will be collected to perform special extended source calibrations, flat-fielding, and cross-calibration with Mars Express, Odyssey and others.

The Vesta Arrival phase begins in May 2011. During this approach the cameras obtain rotation movies of Vesta and a dust/moon survey is performed. The spacecraft slowly spirals into Vesta using ion propulsion until it is captured into Vesta's gravity field.

Vesta Survey orbit, the highest science observation orbit, begins in August 2011. VIR obtains global spectral data while the FC collects global mosiacs in multiple filters as a first look and to begin building the shape model. The FC completes high-resolution global mosaics in multiple filters and with off-nadir views during the High Altitude Mapping Orbit that follows, while VIR obtains high-resolution spectra of selected areas. The main GRaND observations and radiometric-tracking based gravity field mapping will occur in the Low-Altitude Mapping Orbit. The launch delay from June to September resulted in an increase in thrusting margins, such that the Vesta encounter was extended 60 days, enabling a longer LAMO period. Dawn departs Vesta in April 2012 to travel to Ceres.