Nasa's Psyche mission, which was initially set to launch on Aug. 1 towards the main asteroid belt, was pushed back. The delay was due to a software fault on the spacecraft.
This artist's-concept illustration depicts the spacecraft of NASA's Psyche mission near the mission's target, the metal asteroid Psyche. The artwork was created in May 2017 to show the five-panel solar arrays planned for the spacecraft.
NASA Asteroid Psyche Mission Delayed Due to Spacecraft Software Issues
Gretchen McCartney, a spokesman for NASA's JPL, said per Spaceflight Now that the new launch readiness date for Psyche is no sooner than Sept. 20.
"An issue is preventing confirmation that the software controlling the spacecraft is functioning as planned," a short statement from NASA published on Tuesday read. "The team is working to identify and correct the issue."
The mission will explore Psyche, a massive, metallic space rock 1.5 billion miles distant in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, The Independent reported.
Some scientists believe Psyche, made of iron and nickel rather than ice and rock-like asteroids and is 140 miles in diameter, might represent the core of a planet that began to develop but never fully formed.
Our #MissionToPsyche is nearing the final stages of preparations for launch. To allow more time to confirm that all hardware and software systems are operating correctly, the start of Psyche’s launch period is being updated to no earlier than Sept. 20: https://t.co/pCgInq1NrU pic.twitter.com/kWNPqNjhKI
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) May 25, 2022
The mission will launch between August 1 and October 1, when Earth will be at the proper position in the solar system for Psyche to start her interplanetary voyage. The spacecraft is on its way to the asteroid Psyche, which is named after the ship and is a metal-rich planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
An inquiry about the length of the mission's interplanetary launch time this year and when the mission's next launch period will open after 2022 was not answered by NASA or members of the Psyche team.
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Installation of the deep space transponder, part of the probe's communications system, after it was taken from the spacecraft at JPL for troubleshooting, was also part of the Psyche mission's launch preparations. More than a ton of xenon gas will be loaded into the spacecraft's all-electric propulsion system, and Psyche will be encapsulated inside the nose cone of its launch vehicle.
Psyche Passed Battery of Tests at Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Devdiscourse said Psyche is a first-of-its-kind mission led by Arizona State University to a mysterious, metal-rich asteroid that orbits the Sun in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Psyche passed a battery of tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California this month, including electromagnetic, thermal-vacuum, vibration, shock, and acoustic. The spacecraft will launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and utilize Mars' gravitational force to slingshot it toward its destination.
In 2026, NASA's Psyche probe will arrive near the asteroid and spend 21 months gathering science data in lower orbits.
Scientists are particularly intrigued by Psyche because of its peculiar metal composition, high density, and low concentration of iron oxides.
Experts said the findings from this expedition may reveal more about creating our solar system and our home planet.
Psyche is the 14th mission chosen as part of NASA's Discovery Program, which allows scientists to use their imaginations to discover new methods to understand the mysteries of our solar system.
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