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Program archive
Discovery Program
Discovery Program is explored here through 13 archived missions, from NEAR Shoemaker through DAVINCI, with the program’s spacecraft, people, milestones, and source-backed history connected along the way.
- Missions
- 13
- People
- 0
- Vehicles
- 13
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Discovery Program spacecraft
13 mission-specific spacecraft and test articles, plus 0 launch systems and shared hardware records.
Showing vehicles 1–12 of 13
Comet impactor, flyby, and exoplanet observatoryJanuary 12, 2005Deep Impact flyby spacecraft and impactor
Deep Impact flyby spacecraft and impactor, operated by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and University of Maryland, launched at about 2,140 pounds (973 kilograms) for flyby spacecraft and impactor.
Twin lunar gravity-mapping orbitersSeptember 10, 2011GRAIL Ebb and Flow spacecraft
GRAIL Ebb and Flow spacecraft was operated by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Spin-stabilized lunar orbiterJanuary 6, 1998Lunar Prospector spacecraft
Lunar Prospector spacecraft was operated by NASA Ames Research Center.
Venus flyby spacecraft and atmospheric probeFuture launch date under program planningDAVINCI carrier spacecraft and descent sphere
DAVINCI carrier spacecraft and descent sphere is being developed under NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Vesta and Ceres orbiterSeptember 27, 2007Dawn ion-propelled spacecraft
Dawn ion-propelled spacecraft launched at about 2,684 pounds (1,217 kilograms) and operated under NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory with German and Italian instrument partners.
Multiple-asteroid flyby spacecraftOctober 16, 2021Lucy asteroid-flyby spacecraft
Lucy asteroid-flyby spacecraft launched at about 3,420 pounds (1,550 kilograms) and operated under NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Southwest Research Institute.
Mercury flyby and orbital spacecraftAugust 3, 2004MESSENGER spacecraft
MESSENGER spacecraft launched at 2,443 pounds (1,107.
Asteroid flyby, orbiter, and landerFebruary 17, 1996NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft
NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, operated by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA, launched at 1,775 pounds (805 kilograms).
Comet flyby and sample-return spacecraftFebruary 7, 1999Stardust spacecraft and sample return capsule
Stardust spacecraft and sample return capsule, operated by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, launched at 849 pounds (385 kilograms).
Mars geophysics landerMay 5, 2018InSight Mars lander
InSight Mars lander launched at about 790 pounds (358 kilograms) landed and operated under NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory with French, German, and international partners.
Orbital astronomy observatoryMarch 7, 2009Kepler observatory
Kepler observatory was a 2,291 pounds (1,039 kilograms) observatory operated by NASA Ames Research Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Metal-rich asteroid orbiterOctober 13, 2023Psyche asteroid orbiter
Psyche asteroid orbiter launched at about 6,056 pounds (2,747 kilograms) at launch and operated under NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Arizona State University.