Samuel Wilson 
NASA Initiates Maiden Voyage to a Metal World with Psyche Mission
NASA’s pioneering mission, Psyche, has taken off on its historic journey to explore a mysterious world composed primarily of metal. The mission aims to uncover whether this asteroid might represent the exposed core of an early planetary building block, shedding light on the early days of our solar system.
The Psyche mission was successfully launched at 10:19 a.m. ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission marks the first of many NASA science missions scheduled to be launched using the Falcon Heavy rocket.
Named after the 16 Psyche asteroid it is set to study, the mission is set to cover a distance of approximately 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers) over the next six years to reach its target, located in the outer region of the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. David Oh, Psyche’s chief engineer for operations at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, confirmed these details.
Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the Psyche principal investigator and foundation and regents professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, expressed excitement about exploring an uncharted world with a metallic surface. She emphasized the rarity of such opportunities in our solar system.
Scientists believe that the large M-type (metallic) asteroid Psyche could be the exposed core of an early planetary building block, potentially resembling the cores of terrestrial planets in our solar system, including Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. This core might have been revealed through violent collisions with other rocky bodies in the early stages of the solar system’s formation.
While ground and space-based telescopes have provided some insights into Psyche, including information about its size (comparable to Massachusetts without Cape Cod) and surface area (similar to California), the asteroid remains a mystery. Even the Hubble Space Telescope can only depict it as a few pixels.
The Psyche mission, originally slated for launch in October 2022, encountered delays due to software checks and adjustments to the spacecraft’s temperature limits for its nitrogen cold gas thrusters. These issues necessitated a delay in the launch window from October 5 to October 12. The Falcon Heavy rocket powered the start of the spacecraft’s journey into space, with its side boosters landing back at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The spacecraft will undergo initial checks and preparations over the next three to four months. Subsequently, the van-sized spacecraft will rely on its solar electric propulsion system, utilizing Hall-effect thrusters to accelerate xenon gas ions using electricity, achieving speeds five times greater than traditional chemical rockets.
Psyche will reach Mars in May 2026, using the planet’s gravity to adjust its trajectory towards the asteroid. The spacecraft is expected to reach the asteroid in late July 2029, spending 26 months mapping its surface, capturing images, and determining whether Psyche indeed comprises a metallic core.
Additionally, the mission includes the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration (DSOC), set to test high-bandwidth laser communications over long distances during the journey to Psyche. If successful, DSOC could have applications in future human missions to Mars.
The mission’s instruments will help scientists investigate the asteroid’s chemical and mineral composition, mass, gravitational field, and rotation. They also hope to detect a magnetic field around Psyche, which could suggest its origin as a planetary core.
Psyche, primarily composed of iron and nickel, may hold other materials, possibly rock, sulfur, or carbon-based compounds. If it turns out not to be a core, it could represent a rare object from the early solar system’s formation.
The Psyche mission holds the promise of unveiling numerous surprises, as scientists anticipate discovering unique surface features, potential metal spikes and spires, as well as volcanic eruptions and peculiar geological formations. This mission will provide valuable insights into the mysteries of our solar system’s early history.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Dive Digest journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.