NASA’s Psyche mission has completed “one of the most intense reviews a mission goes through in its entire lifecycle” – the critical design review – and is ready to move into the hardware manufacturing phase. The spacecraft will go under testing in February 2021 and launch in August 2022, making its arrival at the asteroid in the beginning of 2026.
The goal of this mission is to study a unique metal asteroid, also named Psyche, orbiting in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. What makes Psyche so compelling is its metallic iron and nickel makeup, believed to be the remnants of an early planet’s core, and its similarities to the core of our home planet. Red Canyon proudly supports this mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and are excited to see it pass this milestone!
Building NASA’s Psyche: Design Done, Now Full Speed Ahead on Hardware
- Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
