Photo: Bill Ingalls · Public domain (US government)
Mission
Planetary Science · Asteroid
Deep Impact was to fly by Comet 9P/Tempel-1 on 3 July 2005. An impacter it released was to hit the comet on 4 July at 10.2 km/s, producing a crater and ejecta plume that would allow the flyby spacecraft to determine the composition and structure of the comet's nucleus.
What it put in orbit
| Object | Type | Orbit | Globe |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPOXI (DEEP IMPACT) 2005-001A | Payload | orbits the Sun | |
| DELTA 2 R/B(2) 2005-001B | Rocket body | orbits the Sun | |
| DELTA 2 R/B(1) 2005-001C | Rocket body | re-entered 2005-06-20 |
COSPAR ID 2005-001. Orbits from the CelesTrak satellite catalogue (perigee × apogee, inclination).