INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An illustration depicts a NASA spacecraft approaching the metal-rich asteroid Psyche
Though there are no plans to mine Psyche, such asteroids are being eyed for their valuable resources.
Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Each electric thruster on Psyche generates just 250
milli-newtons of thrust, roughly equivalent to the weight of three quarters
But they can operate for months at a time, and over the course of a multi-year cruise, these thrusters provide a more efficient means of
propulsion than conventional rockets.The plasma thrusters are reshaping the Psyche spacecraft's path toward its destination, a metal-rich
asteroid also named Psyche
The spacecraft's four electric engines, known as Hall effect thrusters, were supplied by a Russian company named Fakel
companies or the spacecraft's primary manufacturer, Maxar Space Systems in California.The Psyche mission is heading first for Mars, where
the spacecraft will use the planet's gravity next year to slingshot itself into the asteroid belt, setting up for arrival and orbit
insertion around the asteroid Psyche in August 2029.Psyche launched in October 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on the opening leg
of a six-year sojourn through the Solar System
The mission's total cost adds up to more than $1.4 billion, including development of the spacecraft and its instruments, the launch,
operations, and an experimental laser communications package hitching a ride to deep space with Psyche.Psyche, the asteroid, is the size of
Massachusetts and circles the Sun in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
No spacecraft has visited Psyche before
Of the approximately 1 million asteroids discovered so far, scientists say only nine have a metal-rich signature like Psyche
The team of scientists who put together the Psyche mission have little idea of what to expect when the spacecraft gets there in
2029.Metallic asteroids like Psyche are a mystery
Most of Psyche's properties are unknown other than estimates of its density and composition
Predictions about the the look of Psyche's craters, cliffs, and color have inspired artists to create a cacophony of illustrations, often
showing sharp spikes and grooves alien to rocky worlds.In a little more than five years, assuming NASA gets past Psyche's propulsion
problem, scientists will supplant speculation with solid data.
