A spacecraft bound for the asteroid Psyche between Mars and Jupiter is on track to launch on Oct. 5 at the Kennedy Space Center as part of NASA’s Discovery Program.
The Psyche spacecraft has passed final thruster tests, and components including its high-gain antenna, software and science instruments are ready for the mission, the space agency announced Thursday.
Psyche is a metal asteroid with an apparent nickel-iron core that could help scientists understand the formation of planets and the solar system.
The mission includes the transportation of Deep Space Optical Communications, a demonstration of high-data-rate laser technology that could be utilized in NASA missions moving forward. The Psyche spacecraft will orbit the asteroid for 26 months to gather data and imagery that could provide clues on its composition and history.
Arizona State University is leading the program, while NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech, will be responsible for system engineering, integration and testing, mission operations and overall management of the Psyche mission.
The vehicle’s solar electric propulsion chassis was built by Maxar Technologies and launch services will be provided by SpaceX through its Falcon Heavy rocket.