According to a press release from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Dawn "has performed flawlessly," continuing to thrust with its ion engine guiding the spacecraft into a circular orbit. The spacecraft's systems and instruments are in "excellent health."
Since early March, Dawn has been following its planned trajectory along the dark side of Ceres. Dawn reached a altitude of 46,800 miles (75,400 kilometers) on March 18. Now, Dawn is 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers) above Ceres. The first planned science orbit will take place when Dawn is 8,400 miles (13,500 kilometers) above the surface.
On April 10 and 14, the next optical navigation images of Ceres will be taken. By early May, images are expected to improve and include the mysterious bright spots. On May 9, Dawn will complete its first Ceres science phase and begin to spiral down to a lower orbit to observe Ceres from a closer vantage point.
Dawn previously explored the giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months, from 2011 to 2012, capturing detailed images and data about that body.
Dawn's mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington D.C. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team.
