NASA Dawn, a space probe launched by NASA in September 2007, embarked on an ambitious mission to explore two significant proto-planets within the asteroid belt: Vesta and Ceres. This remarkable journey marked the ninth mission in NASA's Discovery Program. It also introduced ion propulsion to NASA's exploratory missions, enabling it to navigate between celestial bodies with unprecedented precision.
Dawn achieved a historic milestone when it entered orbit around Vesta on July 16, 2011. Over the course of 14 months, it conducted an extensive survey mission, unraveling the mysteries of this asteroid before setting its sights on Ceres in late 2012. On March 6, 2015, Dawn entered Ceres' orbit.
The mission's extraordinary success led to a mission extension, which continued until November 1, 2018, when Dawn's hydrazine fuel was depleted. Despite this, the spacecraft remains in a stable orbit around Ceres.
