The journey of 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) begins with a single launch. 🚀 The ULALaunch Atlas V rocket lifted off successfully at 5:34 a.m. EDT (09:34 UTC), beginning #LucyMission's 12-year journey to the Trojan asteroids, ancient space rocks that share an orbit with Jupiter around the Sun. The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying the first spacecraft to ever study the Trojan asteroids, which are thought to be time capsules from the birth of our solar system more than 4 billion years ago. Shortly after launch, the Lucy spacecraft separated from the rocket’s Centaur upper stage to fly freely for the first time. After Lucy's solar arrays unfurled, cheers and applause erupted from the launch teams. And Lucy went off to uncover secrets of our universe. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls #NASA #LucyMission #Launch #Asteroids #SpaceRocks #Space #Science #News #Rocket #Florida #LucyInTheSky