Tempel 1

The comet struck by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft in 2005 — then revisited by Stardust-NExT.

Orbits Sun

First comet deliberately struck by an impactor (NASA Deep Impact, 4 July 2005).
Impact ejected 250,000 tonnes of dust and ice, revealing interior composition.
Revisited by Stardust-NExT on 14 February 2011 to image the impact crater.

About Tempel 1

Comet 9P/Tempel 1 was the target of NASA’s Deep Impact mission, which on 4 July 2005 fired a 372-kg copper impactor into the nucleus at 10.2 km/s. The impact ejected thousands of tonnes of material, revealing a dust-rich interior with a significant water-ice component. NASA’s repurposed Stardust spacecraft (Stardust-NExT) flew past Tempel 1 on 14 February 2011 to image the impact crater — the first time a comet had been visited twice.

Physical Properties

Mean radius3 km

Orbit

OrbitsSun

Semi-major axis3.143 AU

Eccentricity0.5115

Inclination10.474°

Orbital period5.56 yr

Gallery

Hand-picked mission imagery of Tempel 1 sourced from NASA and partner archives. Click any photo for full resolution and source attribution.

Comet Tempel 1, imaged by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft (2005). NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD · Public Domain u2014 NASA Media Usage Guidelines

The nucleus of comet Tempel 1, from Deep Impact. — The nucleus of comet Tempel 1, from Deep… NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD

Imagery on this page is provided by the original mission teams. Full attribution terms: Image Rights & Credits.

Sources & Further Reading

Numerical values (radius, mass, orbital elements, temperatures) are drawn from NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheets, JPL Horizons, and the JPL Small-Body Database. Last refreshed: 2026-06-08 01:37:02.