TRACKER-1ALPHA
48.8566°N / 2.3522°E
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Official Psyche patch
Space probes·NASA

Psyche

In transitLaunched in 2023·En route, arrival 2029

The first mission to a metallic asteroid: (16) Psyche, possibly the exposed core of a protoplanet.

Main objectives
  • Explore the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche (an exposed planetary core?).
  • Understand differentiation and the history of terrestrial planets.
  • Test a next-generation Hall-effect thruster.
Did you know?

The asteroid Psyche is estimated to contain $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 worth of metals.

Timeline

Oct 13, 2023
Launch

Falcon Heavy.

Aug 01, 2029
Orbital arrival
Psyche
Photo of Psyche
Mission data
StatusIn transit
PositionEn route, arrival 2029
Launched in2023
Target(16) Psyche — metallic asteroid
Budget0.985B USD

Discoveries

[01]
  • MilestoneMajor
    Departure toward the metallic asteroid
    The first mission to a primitive metallic body — investigating a possible exposed protoplanet core.
    Oct 13, 2023

Mission milestones

[02]
  • Milestone
    Mars gravity assist flyby
    Gravity assist to adjust the trajectory toward the metallic asteroid (16) Psyche.
    Dec 12, 2024
  • Milestone
    Launch
    Falcon Heavy.
    Oct 13, 2023

Official sources

NASA Psyche↗