Psyche: Mission to a rare target
- Kyle Averill
- May 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 10
Psyche, a NASA Discovery Mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A on October 13th, 2023. Psyche's mission will investigate a rare and also the largest M-type asteroid within our solar system for the first time and execute multiple technology demonstrations as it travels to its destination.
Psyche 16 a metallic asteroid resides in the asteroid belt situated between Mars and Jupiter separating the inner and outer solar system. The spacecraft is set to enter Psyche 16 orbit in August 2029 marking the start of its two-year primary mission.
Psyche's prime mission will investigate the origins of one of the few metal asteroids in the asteroid belt. According to some estimates, metal asteroids account for only 10% of all known asteroids. Psyche will help NASA better understand how planets are formed.
Mission Status
On its journey to the asteroid Psyche 16, the spacecraft Psyche performed a Mars gravity assist on May 15th, 2026. A gravity assist is essential due to current launch vehicle capabilities, and utilizing a planet's gravity allows spacecraft to attain the velocity needed to reach their destinations in the outer solar system beyond Mars. Psyche's Mars gravity assist, also known as a slingshot, increased the spacecraft's speed by approximately 1,000 miles per hour. During this Mars flyby, Psyche also provided us with exceptional images of Mars from roughly 3,000 miles above the Martian surface.
Technology Demonstrations
Like many missions, Psyche relies on solar panels for power, but in a first for spacecraft interplanetary propulsion, Psyche leverages solar electric propulsion, otherwise known as Hall Effect thrusters. These thrusters are named after U.S. physicist Edwin Herbert Hall, based on his electromagnetic research and discovery of the Hall voltage in 1879. Psyche's four thrusters create electromagnetic fields to expel charged ions of inert xenon gas to create thrust. Shortly after launch, the new thrusters came to life in November 2023 and continued testing until the spring of 2024, at which time they were deemed mission-ready. Interestingly, during the cruise phase of the mission, an issue was encountered, but a redundant or backup system was engaged, and since that time, no issues have occurred with the propulsion system.
Another technology demonstration aboard Psyche is NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) platform. DSOC lays the groundwork for increasing space communications bandwidth. DSOC uses near-infrared light, similar to fiber optic networks on Earth, which use infrared or visible light to transmit data point to point.
Shortly after launch on December 11th, 2023, 19 million miles into its journey, DSOC transmitted an ultra-high-definition video to Earth. This technology demonstration successfully increased bandwidth 10 times current radio transmission rates. We've seen how communications bandwidth impacts society here on Earth: on-demand video, music, remote robotic surgery, etc. For space exploration, increasing bandwidth will have a significant impact on the speed of science and our ability to support human spaceflight as well. We'll collect and send more data and analyze and act upon that data faster. Our ability to act in real-time as situations unfold will also improve.
Today, a signal from Mars takes an average of 13 minutes to reach Earth, and beyond the Asteroid Belt, from Jupiter, for example, a radio signal takes at least 30 minutes depending on planetary alignment.
Hall Effect Thrusters operational. DSOC technology demonstration successful, Mars gravity assist successful, images received. We're on our way to the largest metal asteroid we know of with Multi-spectral Imager, Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer, and Magnetometer in hand.
So far, so good.
