NASA Psyche Mission
Psyche is NASA's first mission to study a metal-rich asteroid, 16 Psyche, in the main asteroid belt. The Arizona State University-led investigation is managed, operated, and navigated by Jet Propulsion Laboratory; its spacecraft also carries the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration. After launching in 2023 and completing a Mars gravity assist on May 15, 2026, the orbiter is scheduled to reach the asteroid in July 2029 and begin a roughly two-year science campaign in August.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Psyche16 Psyche MissionNASA Psyche
- Name
- NASA Psyche Mission
- Status
- active
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Psyche is NASA's first mission to study a metal-rich asteroid, 16 Psyche, in the main asteroid belt. The Arizona State University-led investigation is managed, operated, and navigated by Jet Propulsion Laboratory; its spacecraft also carries the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration. After launching in 2023 and completing a Mars gravity assist on May 15, 2026, the orbiter is scheduled to reach the asteroid in July 2029 and begin a roughly two-year science campaign in August.
- Destination
- Main-belt asteroid 16 Psyche, where the spacecraft will begin its prime mission in August 2029 and orbit for about two years to image, map, and determine the composition of a metal-rich world
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Successfully launched, completed its Mars gravity assist, and continues toward asteroid 16 Psyche
- Programs
- Start Date
- 2023-10-13
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/psyche/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 20, 2026 at 03:07:01 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 25, 2026 at 01:45:17 UTC
- Image
- Download
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- NASA Psyche Mission Psyche 16 Psyche Mission NASA Psyche
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles