Status
Success
Stardust
Launch Time
Sun Feb 07, 1999 21:04 UTC
Sun Feb 07, 1999 21:04 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
Stardust
Stardust was a 385-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on 7 February 1999. Its primary mission was to collect dust samples from the coma of comet Wild 2, as well as samples of cosmic dust, and return these to Earth for analysis. It was the first sample return mission of its kind. En route to comet Wild 2, the craft also flew by and studied the asteroid 5535 Annefrank. The primary mission was successfully completed on 15 January 2006, when the sample return capsule returned to Earth.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 385.0 kg
Heliocentric Orbit
Location
SLC-17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA
Stats
1999
3rd orbital launch attempt
Delta II
79th mission
2nd mission of 1999
77th successful mission
24th consecutive successful mission