Psyche, a mission to a metallic world
Set for launch on October 10, 2023, NASA’s Psyche will be the first spacecraft to explore a metallic asteroid. The asteroid, also called Psyche, measures 140 miles (226 kilometers) across and is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists suspect the asteroid of being the leftover core of a planetesimal, that is, the initial building block of a solar system planet. In addition to testing a new communications system, the Psyche probe will use its high-resolution cameras to visualize the asteroid, use radio waves to measure the object’s gravity, and employ a spectrometer to identify its basic elements. Psyche will reach its target in 2026, where it will orbit for 21 months. The probe was supposed to launch in 2022, but mission development problems resulted in the delay.
