NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft and Asteroid Dinkinesh
A Systems Engineering Perspective
NASA’s recent images of the asteroid Dinkinesh taken by the Lucy spacecraft have generated enthusiasm within the space science community and the public. This flyby mission offers an intriguing glimpse into the demanding nature of space exploration (Kretke, 2023). Examining missions like Lucy’s highlights systems engineering principles at work.
The spacecraft represents a complex system built to withstand harsh space conditions and collect data, furthering scientific knowledge. Its integration into NASA’s larger exploratory framework shows a fundamental system engineering tenet — component systems must collaborate as part of the whole. Missions like Lucy demonstrate the meticulous systems engineering underlying space exploration.
A space mission exemplifies designing systems for unique operating demands. Space poses severe challenges — temperature extremes, radiation, vacuums, and remote operation across vast distances (Nesnas et al., 2021). Lucy was engineered to endure these hurdles and accomplish its asteroid goals. The systems approach critically balanced objectives with the harsh space reality.
Another aspect is designing systems to meet stakeholder needs. For Lucy, key stakeholders included the scientists reliant on mission data to unlock asteroid secrets, NASA with programmatic objectives, and the public, hoping to learn from and be inspired by the discoveries. These diverse interests required systems engineering trade-offs to produce a mission meeting expectation.
Scientists needed Lucy to provide reliable, insightful data on Dinkinesh to inform asteroid research (JPL, 2023). NASA required a low-risk mission that balanced cost, technical risk, and scientific return. The public wanted an exciting, successful mission and images that sparked curiosity. Weighing these factors required systems thinking, from design through operations.
As outlined in the INCOSE Handbook, system integration is a fundamental tenet of systems engineering — enabling component systems to work together as part of larger systems (Walden et al., 2015). Lucy exemplifies this, as the spacecraft system was designed to operate seamlessly with NASA’s overarching space exploration program. This interplay of systems, from spacecraft to mission operations, highlights the interconnected nature of complex exploratory missions. From a systems viewpoint, Lucy provides a fascinating look at the interlinked aspects of space exploration — the spacecraft system, interactions with the environment, integration with broader programs, serving diverse stakeholders, and cross-discipline teamwork. As NASA leads us deeper into space, we will rely on systems engineering concepts to craft missions that balance purpose, technical capability, cost, and risk.
Lucy reminds us that space exploration requires the wonder and excitement to inspire the next generation and the intense technical focus to succeed. The human passion for discovery starts with sparks of interest, just as Lucy’s journey began with childhood dreams of exploring asteroids. Our systems must be designed to nurture those dreams as much as advance technical frontiers. With missions like Lucy, systems engineering enables turning imagination into reality and discoveries that reshape human knowledge.
References
JPL. (2023). Data from NASA’s WISE used to preview Lucy Mission’s asteroid Dinkinesh. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | California Institute of Technology. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/data-from-nasas-wise-used-to-preview-lucy-missions-asteroid-dinkinesh
Kretke, K. (2023, October 17). NASA’s Lucy spacecraft continues approach to asteroid Dinkinesh. phyg.org. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-lucy-spacecraft-approach-asteroid.html
Nesnas, I., Fesq, L., & Volpe, R. (2021). Autonomy for space robots: past, present, and future. Current Robotics Reports, 2(3), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43154-021-00057-2
Walden, D. D., Roedler, G., & Forsberg, K. (2015). INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook Version 4: Updating the reference for Practitioners. INCOSE International Symposium, 25(1), 678–686. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2334-5837.2015.00089.x
