The Colorado Springs Gazette final

NASA’S Lucy is ready to blast off

New spacecraft has Colorado connection

BY DENNIS HUSPENI dennis.huspeni@gazette.com

The first available date in the launch window to blast NASA’S Lucy spacecraft into the stars is Saturday, and it looks like she’s going to take full advantage.

Weather and conditions forecasts from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida showed a 90% chance of favorable conditions, United Launch Alliance reported. But Coloradoans will have to get up awfully early to watch it live — it’s scheduled to blast off 4:34 a.m. MDT Saturday.

The 12-year mission to study the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter is a joint effort by NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, NASA’S Launch Services Program and Boulder-based Southwest Research Institute. Lockheed Martin designed, built, tested and will operate the spacecraft from its Waterton Canyon campus southwest of metro Denver.

It will launch aboard

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2021-10-16T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-16T07:00:00.0000000Z

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The Gazette, Colorado Springs