A monumental NASA mission is on the verge of commencing a remarkable odyssey across the cosmos, spanning 2.2 billion miles in its quest to reach a singular, metal-rich asteroid situated beyond the orbit of Mars.
The highly anticipated Psyche mission is scheduled for launch on Thursday at 10:16 a.m. ET, pending favorable weather conditions, with the latest forecast indicating a 20% chance of a suitable launch window.
This groundbreaking voyage will be facilitated by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, poised for liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The momentous event will be broadcast live via NASA’s YouTube Channel, as well as on the space agency’s official website and app. For your convenience, you can also tune in through the provided feed. Live coverage is slated to commence at 9:15 a.m. ET.
Carol Polanskey, NASA’s project scientist for Psyche, described the mission as follows: “This is the inaugural undertaking to investigate a celestial body that observations have suggested is primarily composed of metal. There are countless mysteries shrouding its true shape, gravitational field, and spin axis.”
The Psyche mission’s primary objective is to rendezvous with a metallic celestial body residing within the main asteroid belt. Psyche, a colossal 140-mile-wide (226 kilometers) asteroid, orbits the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientists speculate that Psyche might represent the exposed core of a fractured planetary building block.
“Psyche is of particular intrigue because it appears to be a nascent planetary body… one that had already advanced to the stage where it had melted, allowing metallic material to form a core, while still retaining a rocky surface akin to other celestial bodies in the solar system,” Polanskey elaborated. “Fortunately, it seems that external debris may have been stripped away by collisions, unveiling its inner core.”
She further explained, “[The mission] serves as our portal into the original material that once existed, coming together to shape the planets.”
The Psyche spacecraft will meticulously orbit its target, equipped with an array of instruments, including a multispectral imager, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, a magnetometer, and a radio instrument designed to chart the asteroid’s topography, as outlined by NASA. Early observations from the probe will provide insight into the asteroid’s dimensions and structure, ultimately piecing together a comprehensive understanding of Psyche.
To reach the main asteroid belt, Psyche will journey an astonishing 2.2 billion miles. If all goes as planned, the spacecraft will enter the orbit of asteroid Psyche in late July 2029, commencing its mission in August of the same year.
A week prior to its original launch date on October 5, engineers identified a potential issue with the Psyche spacecraft’s thrusters, which could have led to overheating during its eight-year mission. Consequently, the launch date was postponed by a week to address and rectify the concern.
The mission offers daily launch opportunities until October 25.
