Deep Impact (spacecraft)

Deep Impact

Artist's impression of the Deep Impact space probe after deployment of the impactor.
Mission type	Flyby · impactor (9P/Tempel)
Operator	NASA · JPL
COSPAR ID	2005-001A
SATCAT №	28517
Website	www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/deep-impact/
Mission duration	Final: 8 years, 6 months, 26 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Ball Aerospace · University of Maryland
Launch mass	Spacecraft: 650 kg (1,430 lb) Impactor: 370 kg (820 lb)
Power	620 W (solar array / NiH 2 battery)
Start of mission
Launch date	January 12, 2005 (2005-01-12), 18:47:08 UTC
Rocket	Delta II 7925
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-17B
Contractor	Boeing
End of mission
Disposal	Contact lost
Last contact	August 8, 2013 (2013-08-08)
Flyby of Tempel 1
Closest approach	July 4, 2005, 06:05 UTC
Distance	~500 km (310 mi)
Tempel 1 impactor
Impact date	July 4, 2005, 05:52 UTC
Official insignia of the Deep Impact mission Discovery program ← MESSENGER Dawn →

Official insignia of the Deep Impact mission

Deep Impact was a NASA space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 18:47 UTC on January 12, 2005. It was designed to study the interior composition of the comet Tempel 1 (9P/Tempel), by releasing an impactor into the comet. At 05:52 UTC on July 4, 2005, the impactor successfully collided with the comet's nucleus. The impact excavated debris from the interior of the nucleus, forming an impact crater. Photographs taken by the spacecraft showed the comet to be more dusty and less icy than had been expected. The impact generated an unexpectedly large and bright dust cloud, obscuring the view of the impact crater.

Previous space missions to comets, such as Giotto and Stardust, were fly-by missions. These missions were able to photograph and examine only the surfaces of cometary nuclei, and even then from considerable distances. The Deep Impact mission was the first to eject material from a comet's surface, and the mission garnered large publicity from the media, international scientists, and amateur astronomers.

Upon the completion of its primary mission, proposals were made to further utilize the spacecraft. Consequently, Deep Impact flew by Earth on December 31, 2007 on its way to an extended mission, designated EPOXI, with a dual purpose to study extrasolar planets and comet Hartley 2 (103P/Hartley).