Psyche Mission

Psyche is a planned orbiter mission that will explore the origin of planetary cores by studying the metallic asteroid of the same name. Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University is the principal investigator who proposed this mission for NASA's Discovery Program. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage the project. 16 Psyche is the heaviest known M-type asteroid, and was once thought to be the exposed iron core of a protoplanet, the remnant of a violent collision with another object that stripped off its mantle and crust. Today, numerous recent studies have all but ruled that out. Radar observations of the asteroid from Earth indicate an iron–nickel composition. On January 4, 2017, the Psyche mission was selected for NASA's Discovery #14 mission, and launch was scheduled for no earlier than September 20, 2022. On June 24, 2022, the Psyche launch was postponed until at least 2023. As of October 2022, Psyche is scheduled to launch no earlier than October 10, 2023.

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“First Light” for NASA’s Psyche Mission: Initial Images and a Solar Surprise

Fast Facts: NASA’s Psyche Mission

NASA’s Psyche Mission: Embarking on an Epic Quest to an Ancient Asteroid

NASA's Psyche Mission is off to Asteroid Psyche

NASA’s Psyche Mission Is Off to Test a Space Laser (for Communications)

NASA's Psyche Mission Is About to Launch: Watch Live!

NASA Invites Public to Share in Excitement of Psyche Mission

NASA's Psyche Mission ready for launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy

NASA’s Psyche mission to a metal asteroid may reveal how Earth formed

Psyche Mission Passes Independent Review Board with Flying Colors

NASA to Discuss Conclusions of Psyche Mission Independent Review Board

NASA’s Psyche Mission is Back on. It’ll Launch Towards its Metal Asteroid Target Later This Year

All Is Not Well at NASA's JPL | A review of the upcoming Psyche mission found a host of issues with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, resulting in the delay of a completely unrelated mission.

As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review

NASA commissions independent review of delayed Psyche mission to metal asteroid

NASA’s Psyche Mission Suffers New Launch Delay

NASA's Psyche mission to an unexplored metal world comes to a halt

NASA's Psyche mission delay means change of targets for secondary asteroid probes

Watch the Official Trailer: NASA’s Psyche Mission to a Metal World

Media Meet the Team Leading NASA's Psyche Mission