Mission Timeline

The NEAR mission is the first to orbit a small body, and much is unknown. Because the mission is exploring new frontiers, NEAR operations must remain fluid to respond to evolving scientific findings. Therefore, dates, altitudes, and event sequences listed may be adjusted as the mission unfolds. Check the NEAR Web site, http://near.jhuapl.edu, or the NEAR Hotline, 240-228-5413, for the most up-to-date information.

Feb. 17, 1996

NEAR successfully launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta-2 rocket.

Feb. 18, 1997

NEAR establishes record for the greatest distance from the sun for a solar-powered spacecraft (203 million miles/327 million kilometers).

June 27, 1997

In a flyby of asteroid Mathilde, NEAR comes within 753 miles (1,212 kilometers) of the asteroid.

Jan. 23, 1998

An Earth swingby puts NEAR on its final approach path for an encounter with asteroid 433 Eros. At its closest point to Earth, the spacecraft passes about 335 miles (540 kilometers) above Ahvaz in southwestern Iran.

April 1, 1998

NEAR sets the record as the most distant manmade object detected by optical means when an amateur astronomer in New South Wales, Australia, spots the spacecraft at a distance of 20.91 million miles (33.65 million kilometers) from Earth. The previous record was the 1992 sighting of the Galileo spacecraft at a distance of 5 million miles (8.06 million kilometers) from Earth.

Dec. 20, 1998

NEAR's initial Eros rendezvous maneuver aborts moments after thruster firing starts. Contact with Mission Operations is regained after 27 hours of silence, revealing a healthy spacecraft that lost 64 pounds (29 kilograms) of propellant during its attempt to recover communications.

Dec. 23, 1998

NEAR comes within 2,378 miles (3,827 kilometers) of Eros at 2,158 miles per hour (965 meters per second).

Jan. 3, 1999

Large bipropellant thruster burn executed to close the gap between NEAR's orbital speed and that of Eros.

Jan. 20, 1999

Hydrazine thruster burn completed to fine-tune the spacecraft's trajectory and speed.

Aug. 12, 1999

Last major trajectory correction completed with 2-minute burn of the hydrazine engine, slowing the spacecraft to 188 mph relative to Eros.

Feb. 3 and 8, 2000

Two-part rendezvous maneuver for precise targeting of initial approach to Eros.

Feb. 13, 2000

Zero-phase measurements occur using the Near-Infrared Spectrometer as the spacecraft flies between Eros' northern hemisphere and the sun. (You are looking at zero-phase when the sun is directly overhead and casting no shadows.)

Feb. 14, 2000

NEAR enters an orbit 207 miles (333 kilometers) from the center of Eros. The yearlong encounter begins. A press conference will be held at APL.

Feb. 14 to April 30, 2000

High-Orbit Phase. NEAR orbits Eros at distances decreasing from 311 to 31 miles (500 to 50 kilometers) from the center of the asteroid.

March 10, 2000

NEAR spacecraft descends to 125-mile (200-kilometer) orbit.

April 10, 2000

NEAR reaches orbit of 62 miles (100 kilometers).

April 30, 2000

NEAR arrives at a polar orbit of 31 miles (50 kilometers), where the spacecraft spends 100 days.

April 30 – Aug. 27, 200

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Low-Orbit Phase. NEAR travels in nearly circular orbits at about 31 miles (50 kilometers) from Eros. The X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Spectrometer measures element abundances, which will help to determine the relationship between meteorites and asteroids.

July 6, 2000

For the first time since NEAR arrived at Eros, all of Eros, excluding deep polar craters, is illuminated by the sun. Sunlight shines directly over Eros' equator as the sub-solar point moves south.

Aug. 27 – Dec. 20, 200

High-Orbit Phase. NEAR travels in orbits of 31 to 311 miles (50 to 500 kilometers) from Eros. During this period, the retrograde orbit shifts from nearly polar to nearly equatorial, where NEAR travels opposite the direction of Eros' spin.

Oct. 15, 2000

Zero-phase measurements occur using the Near-Infrared Spectrometer as the spacecraft flies between Eros' southern hemisphere and the sun.

Dec. 20, 2000

Low-altitude operations begin as the spacecraft passes within 21 miles (35 kilometers) or closer during each orbit.

Feb. 14, 2001

Mission ends.