Spacecraft
Background
Dawn Dictionary
Dawn Journal
Dawn's Early Light
Fact Sheet (PDF 525 Kb)
FAQs
Ion Propulsion
Mission Status
Objectives
Overview
Partners
Spacecraft
Timeline
Trajectory
Where is Dawn?

Key Spacecraft Characteristics:

• Extensive redundancy using flight-proven assemblies from other Orbital and JPL spacecraft
• Ion propulsion system, based on the design validated on Deep Space 1
• Two 100 W (RF) traveling wave tube amplifiers, fixed 1.5 m high-gain antenna,
  3 low-gain antennas, two small deep space transponders
• Solar array capable of producing more than 10 kW at Earth's distance from the Sun and more than 1 kW at Ceres's maximum distance
• Flight proven attitude control system used on Orbview, TOPEX/Poseidon ocean topography mission, and Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
• Simple hydrazine reaction control subsystem with two sets of six
  0.9 N engines used on the Indostar spacecraft
• Command and data handling uses off the shelf components as used on the
  Orbview program
• Modular flight software based on design used on Orbview
  
• Core structure is graphite composite. Panels are aluminum core, some with aluminum facesheets and others with composite facesheets.
  
  SPACECRAFT DIAGRAM:

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KEY
HGA – High Gain Antenna
LGA – Low Gain Antenna
CSS – Coarse Sun Sensors
GRaND – Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector
IPS Thrusters – Ion Propulsion Thrusters
RCS Thrusters – Reaction Control System Thrusters
VIR – Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
FC – Framing Camera

This figure depicts the Dawn flight system. Upper views are the same scale.

+ Learn about Dawn's ion propulsion
+ See published article on description of mission

Site Manager: Dawn Mission Outreach Office
Webmaster: McREL
CL04-1004