NASA's asteroid-hunter Lucy makes exceptionally close flyby of Earth

NASA's Lucy, the first mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, successfully completed its first Earth gravity assist on October 16, passing just 220 miles/350 km above our planet's surface.

The Oct. 16 gravity assist was one of three the spacecraft will rely on to catapult itself to its deep-space targets. The close approach placed lucy on a new trajectory for a two-year orbit and provided the spacecraft with some of the orbital energy it needs to travel to this never-before-visited population of asteroids.

The spacecraft will return for a second gravity assist in 2 years, which will give it the energy it needs to cross the main asteroid belt, where it will observe asteroid Donaldjohanson, and then travel into the leading Trojan asteroid swarm, according to NASA.

In 2030, Lucy will return to Earth for a third gravity assist to re-target the spacecraft for a rendezvous with the Patroclus-Menoetius binary asteroid pair in the trailing Trojan asteroid swarm.

✅NASA’s #LucyMission completed its 1st Earth Gravity Assist, passing just 220 miles/350 km above Earth’s surface!In 2 years, Lucy will return for a 2nd gravity assist, which will let it reach the main asteroid belt & observe asteroid Donaldjohanson. https://t.co/rOFSJXtk9D pic.twitter.com/fpB8wUiLHZ

— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) October 16, 2022

During the Oct. 16 flyby, Lucy was very close to Earth - lower even than the International Space Station - making it clearly visible to observers on the ground.

#SpotTheSpacecraft update: The Lucy Team in Boulder and Littleton, Colorado were stuck with overcast skies, but two intrepid team members made a roadtrip to Scottsbluff, Nebraska and spotted Lucy with a telescope and shared what they saw. Whoot! #LucyMission#EarthGravityAssist pic.twitter.com/8LYhFBNdqp

— Lucy Mission (@LucyMission) October 16, 2022

Lucy embarked on a 12-year-journey to study multiple Trojan asteroids up close on October 16, 2021. It is the first spacecraft to visit these remnants from the early solar system, helping scientists hone their theories on how the planets formed 4.5 billion years ago.