// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Dwarf Planet
A dwarf planet is a celestial body that orbits the Sun, is massive enough to be nearly round due to its own gravity, but has not cleared its orbital path of other debris. Pluto is a well-known example.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
An astronomical object orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be gravitationally rounded but has not cleared its orbital neighborhood of other objects, exemplified by Pluto, Ceres, and Eris, as defined by the IAU.
BACKGROUND
Private spaceflight companies include non-governmental or privately owned entities focused on developing and/or offering equipment and services geared towards spaceflight, both robotic and human. This list includes both inactive and active entities.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Minor planet (sometimes)
- Plutoid (for trans-Neptunian ones)
- Sub-planet
USAGE NOTE
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, sparking much debate.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Dwarf Planet.
The primary US space agency responsible for missions that have visited dwarf planets. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed the Dawn mission to Ceres, and the New Horizons mission, which flew by Pluto, was a part of its New Frontiers program.
A research lab that designs, builds, and operates robotic space missions for NASA. APL built and operated the New Horizons spacecraft, which performed the first-ever flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto and the Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth.
An independent, nonprofit applied research and development organization. SwRI is the home institution of the New Horizons principal investigator, Alan Stern, and it led the development of several key scientific instruments for the mission to Pluto.
An intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space. ESA partners on numerous deep space missions and develops technologies for exploring icy bodies, which is directly applicable to many dwarf planets. They contributed to missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, which has discovered and characterized numerous dwarf planets.
A manufacturer of spacecraft, components, and instruments for civil, commercial, and national security space missions. The company built critical instruments for the New Horizons mission, including the LORRI high-resolution camera that provided iconic images of Pluto.
A German research institute focused on solar system science. The institute developed the primary scientific cameras for NASA's Dawn mission, which orbited and studied the dwarf planet Ceres in unprecedented detail.
A Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer. The company developed and built critical hardware for deep space missions, including the high-gain antenna for the New Horizons spacecraft, which was essential for communicating data from Pluto back to Earth.