A NASA mission to explore one of the most intriguing objects in the asteroid belt is getting a second chance. The Psyche mission is now targeting a 2023 launch period after missing its initial window this year due to developmental delays.
NASA decided to move forward with its Psyche mission following an internal review of the the problems that led to its delaythe space agency announcement Friday. The mission is now targeting a new launch window that opens on October 20, 2023, with the spacecraft launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In June, NASA delayed the launch of the Psyche spacecraft due to problems with its flight software and test equipment. The spacecraft’s flight software controls its orientation and trajectory, as well as its ability to send and receive data back to Earth. The problem could not be resolved in time to allow liftoff before this year’s launch window closes on October 11.
Instead, NASA established an independent review board to examine the issues that caused the delay and assessher or not, the spacecraft should still launch. The “continuation/termination review” gave the green light to launch Psyche with a trajectory similar to the original one, using gravitational assistance from Mars in 2026 to send the spacecraft on its way to the asteroid Psyche.
“During this examination, [the Psyche team has] demonstrated significant progress already made toward the future launch date,” JPL Director Laurie Leshin said in a statement. “I am confident in the plan moving forward and excited about the unique and important science that this mission will return.”
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With the new launch window, the spacecraft will arrive at Psyche much later than originally planned, entering orbit around the asteroid in August 2029 rather than early 2026. Better late than never for the highly anticipated mission , which will explore the metal-rich asteroids it is named after.
Psyche is a 140 mile wide (226 kilometer) asteroid that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists believe Psyche may be the stripped core of a shattered planetesimal, one of the building blocks that come together to form a planet.
The Psyche spacecraft will orbit its target to map it using a multispectral imager, gamma and neutron spectrometer, magnetometer and radio instrument, according to NASA. By studying the asteroid Psyche, scientists could learn more about the interiors of terrestrial planets like Earth.
While the Psyche mission has had a second chance to launch into space, NASA is still trying to figure out what to do with the Mission Janus, which was meant to overlay Psyche during its original launch window. Janus is one of three missions planned under NASA’s SIMPLEx-2 (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program and is designed to study two separate binary asteroid systems.
“NASA continues to evaluate options for its Janus mission,” the space agency wrote. But for now, the space agency is anticipating the launch of Psyche and the possibility of exploring the unique space rock. “Lessons learned from Psyche will be implemented across our mission portfolio,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. “I am excited about the scientific insights Psyche will provide in her lifetime and her promise to contribute to our understanding of our own planet’s core.”
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