article_snippet.sent: Dawn arrived on 6 March, the first time a spacecraft has orbited a dwarf planet, and is now preparing for the key science phase of the mission.
article_snippet.sent: Dawn has been using Dawn ion propulsion system to rendezvous with the closest dwarf planet to the sun since leaving the giant asteroid Vesta in 2012.
article_snippet.sent: the mission is so exciting, because we're exploring the last uncharted world of its ion propulsion system,' Dr Marc Rayman, Dawn chief engineer and mission director at JPL told MailOnline. '
article_snippet.sent: Dawn (artist's illustration shown) has been using Dawn (artist's illustration shown) ion propulsion system to rendezvous with the dwarf planet since leaving the giant asteroid Vesta in 2012.