Psyche Mission: Here's all you should know about Nasa's spacecraft to a metal-rich asteroid
Nasa's highly anticipated Psyche spacecraft is all set for liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and it's riding atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. This significant event is scheduled for October 12, 2023.
The Psyche mission is part of Nasa's Discovery Program, which focuses on competitively selected, cost-effective missions aimed at exploring our solar system. Arizona State University is leading this mission, with Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory taking charge of the mission management.
Equipped with a suite of instruments, the Psyche spacecraft is poised to delve into Psyche's composition, geology, magnetic field, and gravity.
What is Nasa's Psyche mission?
Psyche refers to both an asteroid and a Nasa mission. The asteroid Psyche is a distinctive, metal-rich celestial body situated in the space between Mars and Jupiter, measuring approximately 173 miles (279 kilometers) in width.
Scientists believe it may be the exposed core of an early planet that never reached full formation. The Psyche mission is an ambitious journey aimed at exploring this asteroid and unraveling the mysteries surrounding its origin, structure, composition, and magnetic field.
When and how will the Psyche mission launch?
The launch date for the Psyche mission is set for October 12, 2023, from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For this mission, Nasa is relying on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, known as the most potent operational rocket globally. The rocket will transport the Psyche spacecraft into a high-Earth orbit, where it will employ a solar-electric propulsion system to gradually break free from Earth's gravitational pull and embark on its journey toward the asteroid belt.
How long will it take for the Psyche spacecraft to
