NASA's Dawn spacecraft has entered its approaching phase towards the mysterious dwarf planet of Ceres, a Texas- sized body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. According to Blastr, the spacecraft was launched back in 2007 and is set to arrive on March 6, 2015.

Space.com reports that the probe is now about 400,000 miles (640,000 kilometers) from Ceres and is cruising toward the 590-mile-wide (950 km) object at 450 mph (725 km/h).

This particular mission is special because it will mark the first time that any spacecraft will have orbited two different unexplored solar system bodies - Ceres and its neighbor, Vesta. Christoper Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, called Ceres "a complete mystery" because no meteorites with vital intel have been linked to it.

Ceres itself has generated much excitement, as it possesses an icy mantle and might even harbor a subsurface ocean of liquid water. This means that it might be capable of supporting life.

The spacecraft used for the mission also relies on new, groundbreaking technology. As stated by NASA: "The spacecraft uses ion propulsion to traverse space far more efficiently than if it used chemical propulsion. In an ion propulsion engine, an electrical charge is applied to xenon gas, and charged metal grids accelerate the xenon particles out of the thruster.

These particles push back on the thruster as they exit, creating a reaction force that propels the spacecraft. Dawn has now completed five years of accumulated thrust time, far more than any other spacecraft."

Marc Rayman, Dawn chief engineer and mission director, stated, "Thanks to ion propulsion, we're about to make history as the first spaceship ever to orbit two unexplored alien worlds."

NASA reports that  by the end of January, the spacecraft's images and other data will be the best ever taken of the dwarf planet.