The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a delay of one week in the launch of its mission to the asteroid Psyche due to technical inconveniences related to the spacecraft’s propellant. Originally scheduled for October 5, the Psyche mission will now take place on October 12.
This expedition, which will head towards a distant asteroid rich in metalswill take place aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 10:16 a.m. ET.
The cause of this delay lies in the need to carry out exhaustive verifications of the parameters used to monitor the cold gas and nitrogen thrusters of the Psyche spacecraft, NASA explained in a post on his blog. These thrusters play a crucial role in controlling the propulsion and orientation of the spacecraft.
NASA considers October 12 to 25 for the launch
The US space agency has noted that recent adjustments to these parameters have been made in response to new higher temperature forecasts for these thrusters. Ensure thrusters operate within proper limits It is essential to ensure the long-term integrity of these components.
Once the adjustments are completed, the launch team will proceed to perform additional simulations and adjustments before flight. NASA has specified that there are launch opportunities available every day between October 12 and 25.
It should be remembered that the Psyche mission It was initially planned to be launched in 2022., but suffered a delay due to problems related to the spacecraft’s flight software and test equipment. Flight software is essential to control the craft’s orientation, trajectory, and ability to communicate with Earth.
What is the Psyche mission?
NASA announced in October 2022 that the Psyche mission was resuming after an internal review that assessed challenges related to staff and communication that had contributed to the initial delay. With this new launch window, the spacecraft will arrive at the asteroid Psyche with a considerable delay compared to the originally planned date.
Mars gravity assist will be used in 2026 to steer the spacecraft onto a trajectory that will take it to the asteroid’s orbit in August 2029, instead of the initial plan to arrive in early 2026.
Psyche is a 140 mile asteroid (approximately 226 kilometers) in diameter that is in orbit between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists believe Psyche could be the core of a torn planetesimal, one of the primordial components that merged to give rise to a planet.
The Psyche spacecraft will be equipped with instruments such as a multispectral imager, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, a magnetometer and a radio instrument, all designed to map and closely study the asteroid, as reported by NASA.
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