Part 5/6:
On its journey toward the Trojan asteroids, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has made a fascinating discovery. During a recent tracking test on the main belt asteroid Dinkes, Lucy’s systems identified that the asteroid is actually a pair—two objects orbiting each other.
This unexpected finding not only provides NASA scientists with an additional intriguing celestial body to study but also serves as a vital validation of Lucy’s tracking system. Confirming that Lucy can accurately identify such binary systems ensures that the spacecraft is well prepared for its upcoming mission to the Trojan asteroids, scheduled for 2027.