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Scientists believe that Psyche will become a portal to the ancient history of our cosmos.
NASA preparing to launch a spacecraft to the asteroid Psyche, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid is notable because it may have once been an ancient building block of the planet, which lost its outer stone shell during the formation of our solar system.
Launch and mission details
The launch of the Psyche asteroid mission is scheduled for October 12 at 10: 16 am ET. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On its way to the asteroid, the spacecraft will travel 2.2 billion miles, entering orbit around the asteroid Psyche at the end of July 2029.
The importance of this mission lies in the uniqueness of the asteroid itself. Psyche is a 173-mile (280 km) diameter asteroid, possibly representing the exposed core of an early planetesimal. Analysis shows that from 30% to 60% of its volume is made up of metals.
How will NASA study Psyche?
The spacecraft, about the size of a small car, is equipped with a magnetometer, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, and a multispectral camera for studying the asteroid. Spectrometers will help determine the chemical composition of the asteroid, and the camera will tell you about its mineral composition.
Difficulties on the way to launch
The cost of the Psyche mission is estimated at $ 1.2 billion. Initially, the launch was planned for 2022, but due to problems with software and hardware, it had to be postponed. In 2022, NASA confirmed that the mission is returning to launch after an internal review of the problems.
Thus, the mission to the asteroid Psyche promises to bring valuable data about a possible ancient building block of the planet and give a unique opportunity to look into the "heart" of our planets.
NASA preparing to launch a spacecraft to the asteroid Psyche, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid is notable because it may have once been an ancient building block of the planet, which lost its outer stone shell during the formation of our solar system.
Launch and mission details
The launch of the Psyche asteroid mission is scheduled for October 12 at 10: 16 am ET. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On its way to the asteroid, the spacecraft will travel 2.2 billion miles, entering orbit around the asteroid Psyche at the end of July 2029.
The importance of this mission lies in the uniqueness of the asteroid itself. Psyche is a 173-mile (280 km) diameter asteroid, possibly representing the exposed core of an early planetesimal. Analysis shows that from 30% to 60% of its volume is made up of metals.
How will NASA study Psyche?
The spacecraft, about the size of a small car, is equipped with a magnetometer, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, and a multispectral camera for studying the asteroid. Spectrometers will help determine the chemical composition of the asteroid, and the camera will tell you about its mineral composition.
Difficulties on the way to launch
The cost of the Psyche mission is estimated at $ 1.2 billion. Initially, the launch was planned for 2022, but due to problems with software and hardware, it had to be postponed. In 2022, NASA confirmed that the mission is returning to launch after an internal review of the problems.
Thus, the mission to the asteroid Psyche promises to bring valuable data about a possible ancient building block of the planet and give a unique opportunity to look into the "heart" of our planets.
