NASA's Psyche spacecraft activates thrusters, enters 'full cruise' mode
NASA has successfully activated the electric Hall thrusters of its spacecraft, Psyche. The agency announced that the spacecraft is now in "full cruise" mode, seven months after its launch on October 13, 2023. This significant milestone was achieved aboard a conventional SpaceX rocket, and marks a crucial step in Psyche's journey to a metal-rich asteroid located beyond Mars.
Psyche achieves milestone in deep space communication
In addition to its primary mission, NASA utilized Psyche to conduct tests on laser-based deep space communications. The spacecraft successfully transmitted a communications laser back to Earth from nearly 10 million miles away. This achievement marks a first for NASA.
Journey to the asteroid
The Psyche spacecraft is projected to reach its target, the Psyche asteroid, by 2029. It will spend two years orbiting the asteroid while collecting and transmitting data back to Earth. The spacecraft is currently traveling at a speed of 37km per second or approximately 135,240km/h, and is expected to eventually reach speeds of up to 199,640km/h. Ion propulsion technology, including magnetic Hall thrusters used by Psyche, has been under NASA's development since before the first US astronauts landed on Moon.
Ion propulsion: A revolution in spacecraft technology
NASA first test-fired an ion thruster in 1964 and used it as a spacecraft's main propulsion for the 1998's Deep Space 1 mission. Ion propulsion systems, like the magnetic Hall thrusters on Psyche, have no moving parts. They generate thrust by exciting xenon particles and expelling them from the thruster. Despite not being powerful enough to launch a rocket from Earth, ion thrusters are valued for their durability and fuel efficiency, making them suitable for smaller spacecraft.
