Official NASA information shows that the Psyche spacecraft will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.Launch date is set for October 5 at 10:34 a.m. ETconducted at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Psyche (16 Psyche) is a huge asteroid, and is probably the largest M-type asteroid. Its mass is estimated to account for 0.6% of all asteroid belt objects. It was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale. · Discovered by de Gasparis on March 17, 1852, this was the fifth asteroid he discovered. It was later named after Psyche (the incarnation of the soul) in Greek mythology.
After being launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and overcoming Earth’s gravity, the Psyche spacecraft will use solar electric thrust to embark on a six-year journey to Psyche, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter and is expected to reach Arrival in 2026.
Scientists believe the asteroid may have been part of the iron-nickel core of an early planet, or that molten iron may have seeped through a thin mantle shortly after its formation. However, the ore will not be mined, but will be studied in orbit to allow researchers to better understand the components of the Earth’s core.
It takes about five Earth years for Psyche to complete one orbit around the sun.Its closest distance to Earth is about three times the distance between Earth and Mars. The lead researcher said: “The trip to this asteroid is only for scientific exploration, not for profit.”
