NASA's Psyche mission to explore metal asteroid takes to space
NASA has kicked off a mission to explore a mysterious metallic world by launching the Psyche spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The spacecraft will journey about 3.5 billion kilometers over six years to reach the 16 Psyche asteroid, nestled in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists think this M-type asteroid might be the exposed core of an early planetary building block, offering clues about the formation of rocky planets like Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury.
Challenges faced and the journey ahead
The Psyche mission experienced a few setbacks before launching, including software checkouts and tweaks to the spacecraft's nitrogen cold gas thrusters. Once in space, the team will take 3-4 months to carry out checks on the spacecraft and its instruments. The spacecraft will use solar electric propulsion system, powered by Hall-effect thrusters, to reach its destination. Psyche will arrive at Mars in 2026 and use the planet's gravity to slingshot its path toward the asteroid, arriving in late July 2029.
Exploring the surface of Psyche
When it reaches the asteroid, the Psyche spacecraft will spend 26 months orbiting and mapping its surface, snapping pictures, and figuring out if it really is a metal core. The spacecraft will use various orbits around the asteroid, from 708km to just 64km above the surface. The mission's imagers will start sending data back to Earth as soon as the spacecraft spots the asteroid.
Testing high-bandwidth laser communications
The Psyche mission is also carrying NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration. During the first two years of its journey, DSOC will test high-bandwidth laser communications by sending and receiving data to and from Earth using an invisible near-infrared laser. If successful, this technology could one day help communicate with humans exploring Mars.
Unlocking the secrets of a metal world
The spacecraft's instruments will assist scientists in determining the asteroid's chemical and mineral makeup, topography, mass, gravitational field, and rotation. The mission's magnetometer will try to detect signs of a magnetic field around Psyche, which could indicate that the space rock initially formed as a planetary core. If Psyche isn't a core, it could be a rare, leftover object from the formation of the solar system that has never been seen before.
