Psyche

Mission Profile

Prime Contractors

Companies that built, launched, or operate this mission. Tickers link to their investor profile.

• Maxar Technologies
• NASA JPL
• SpaceX
• Arizona State University

Overview

Psyche is NASA's first mission to a metal-rich asteroid — and the first time humanity will explore a world that may be the exposed iron-nickel core of a planetesimal whose rocky mantle was stripped away by ancient collisions. The target, asteroid (16) Psyche, is approximately 226 km in diameter and orbits in the outer main belt; ground-based radar suggests it is roughly 30-60% metal by volume. Launched in October 2023 on a Falcon Heavy, the spacecraft uses solar electric propulsion (Hall-effect thrusters fed by xenon, with a planned upgrade to krypton) for nearly all of its trajectory, with a Mars gravity assist in May 2026 to set up Psyche arrival in August 2029. After arrival the spacecraft will spend roughly two years in progressively lower orbits — A through D — mapping the asteroid's surface, gravity, and magnetic field. The mission's hypothesis is that Psyche is a 'core' world; if confirmed, it would be the first opportunity to study planetary core material directly, since Earth's own core lies more than 2,900 km beneath our feet. Psyche also carries DSOC, NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which has already broken records for laser data transmission distances (downlinks at 267 Mbps from beyond 1.5 AU).

Key Milestones

1. 2023-10-13

   Launch on Falcon Heavy from KSC LC-39A

2. 2023-12-11

   DSOC first laser communications light at lunar distances

3. 2024-04-08

   DSOC streams 267 Mbps from 226 million km

4. 2026-05-23

   Mars gravity-assist flyby (planned)

5. 2029-08-01

   Psyche orbit insertion (planned)

Related Missions

Sources

1. NASA — Psyche
2. ASU — Psyche Mission