NASA's Psyche Asteroid Mission Successfully Launches Aboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket After 1-Year Delay

NASA's Psyche asteroid mission was finally launched after a year of delay. Psyche lifted off last week atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA's Psyche Asteroid Probe Finally Launched

The anticipated launch took place on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Oct. 13 at 10:19 EDT (14:19 UTC). At 11:50 EDT, NASA's Deep Space Network established two-way communication with the spacecraft. According to the space agency, "Initial telemetry reports show the spacecraft is in good health."

The spacecraft is carrying the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, aimed at increasing the bandwidth compared to conventional radio frequency communications, in addition to taking a close look at the metal-rich asteroid, which scientists hope will lead to new understanding regarding the formation of rocky planets.

The 279 km diameter asteroid will be "the only metal-class asteroid ever explored," according to NASA.

Psyche will now go through a commissioning phase as it races toward an asteroid that it will eventually reach in 2029 with a gravitational assist from Mars in 2026. The science instruments will be actively checked out in about six weeks, and engineers will be able to test the optical communications technology demonstration in about three weeks.

This will be NASA's first test of high-data-rate optical or laser communications outside the Moon. However, managers were keen to stress that no Psyche mission data would be transmitted using the device.

The employment of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is a first for NASA, though. The government gave the rocket the go-ahead in early 2023 - marking the culmination of a two-and-a-half-year work. It is the first time the launcher has been entrusted with what NASA terms its "most complex and highest priority missions."

NASA has few options except the pricey Space Launch System (SLS).

When it comes to Western launch providers, SpaceX is quickly edging out any competition. In the face of scheduled handovers and unanticipated crises, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing final choking off of engine supplies, stalwarts like United Launch Alliance (ULA) are struggling to bring new rockets online.

Why Psyche Mission Was Delayed?

Psyche was slated to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in October 2022 to investigate the interesting metal asteroid that earned the mission its name. However, NASA delayed the launch last summer because of problems with the spacecraft's flight software.

When that occurred, an impartial assessment was called by NASA's Science Project Directorate and the Southern California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which oversees the Psyche project. In November, the study concluded that the COVID-19 epidemic, coupled with several other variables, including management and communication flaws and staffing issues at JPL, were ultimately to blame for the delay.

Retired aerospace executive A. Thomas Young, who led the independent review board (IRB), said at the time that they were positive about Psyche's October 2023 launch. He said, "the 2023 launch readiness date is credible, and the overall probability of mission success is high." Apparently, Young was right.

Before the launch, SpaceX conducted a static fire test on Falcon Heavy at the Kennedy Space Center. The test confirmed that the rocket was ready for the probe.

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.