NASA's Psyche Asteroid Mission Launch from Kennedy Space Center | JPL

NASA's Psyche Asteroid Mission Launch from Kennedy Space Center | JPL

Highlights from the Oct. 13, 2023, launch of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, which will travel 2.2 billion miles to a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Psyche lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:19 a.m PDT (10:19 a.m. EDT).

The mission, which is the first to explore a metal-rich asteroid, aims to help scientists learn more about the formation of rocky bodies—including Earth—in our solar system. The Psyche spacecraft is equipped with four scientific investigations: the magnetometer, gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, multispectral imager, and gravity science experiment. In addition, a technology demonstration called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) will fly on Psyche in order to test high-data-rate laser communications. 

Psyche is scheduled to arrive at the asteroid in 2029 and orbit for about 26 months.

Destination: Only the 16th asteroid to be discovered, Psyche was found in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, who named it for the goddess of the soul in ancient Greek mythology. It has a mean diameter of approximately 220 kilometers (140 mi) and contains about one percent of the mass of the asteroid belt.

What gives asteroid Psyche great scientific interest is that it is likely rich in metal. It may consist largely of metal from the core of a planetesimal, one of the building blocks of the Sun’s planetary system. At Psyche scientists will explore, for the first time ever, a world made not of rock or ice, but rich in metal.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages the mission, which is led by Arizona State University. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center manages launch operations and procured the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Maxar Technologies delivered the solar electric propulsion chassis and most of its engineering hardware systems.

For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission go to nasa.gov/psyche

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Oct. 13, 2023

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