Delta 7425-9.5 | Contour

Launch Provider & Rocket

• Provider: United States Air Force (Government)
• Rocket: Delta II 7425-9.5 — Delta family

Mission

The CONTOUR (Comet Nucleus Tour) probe, built and operated by the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), began its five year mission to explore three comets, using repeated encounters with the earth to modify its orbit in order to reach each target.

• Type: Heliophysics
• Orbit: Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)

Launch Site

• Pad: Space Launch Complex 17A
• Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
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Program

• Discovery Program — The Discovery Program is a series of Solar System exploration missions funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Planetary Missions Program Office. The cost of each mission is capped at a lower level than missions from NASA's New Frontiers or Flagship Programs. As a result, Discovery missions tend to be more focused on a specific scientific goal rather than serving a general purpose. (Wikipedia)