Psyche
The first visit to a world rich in metal, which may be the exposed core of a shattered planet.
Key facts
- Agency
- NASA (United States)
- Type of mission
- Asteroid orbiter
- Target
- Asteroid 16 Psyche
- Launched
- 13 October 2023
- Status
- On its way to Psyche
The asteroid 16 Psyche is about 220 kilometres across and reflects radar like a body rich in metal. Iron meteorites are pieces of the metal cores of small worlds that melted, separated into layers and were later broken apart. Psyche may be one of those cores laid bare: a chance to see a planetary core, something that cannot be visited on Earth.
It might also be something else. Its density is lower than solid iron, so it is probably a mixture of metal and rock, or a porous pile of metal-rich rubble. Some scientists think it could resemble the metal-rich CB chondrites, or that its metal came from iron volcanoes. The spacecraft is designed to tell these ideas apart.
The mission
Psyche launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket on 13 October 2023. It uses electric thrusters that accelerate charged xenon gas, giving a weak but steady push for years. It flew past Mars in 2026 for a gravity assist and is due to arrive in 2029. In orbit it will map the surface, measure the magnetic field that a former core might have frozen in, and use a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer to measure the amounts of iron, nickel and other elements.
On the way, it tested laser communication with Earth, sending video over hundreds of millions of kilometres.
Why it matters to meteorites
If Psyche is a core, its nickel content and texture can be compared with the iron meteorite groups, which grew their Widmanstätten patterns as metal cores cooled over millions of years.
Key dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 13 October 2023 | Psyche launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket. |
| December 2023 | Sent the first high-definition video from deep space by laser. |
| May 2026 | Flew past Mars for a gravity assist. |
| 2029 | Planned arrival at the asteroid Psyche. |
See where this mission fits among all the others in the mission timeline.
Did you know?
Psyche was only the 16th asteroid ever discovered, in 1852.
The first video sent by its laser system was a 15-second clip of a cat called Taters chasing a laser pointer.
Related pages
Comets connected with this mission: Comet 3I/ATLAS. See all comets.