Everything is ready for tomorrow, October 13, at 4:19 p.m. (Spanish peninsular time) and if the weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida allow it, NASA’s Psyche mission will depart from Earth heading toward a asteroid of mostly metallic composition. The operation can be followed live through NASA’s internet channel.
The asteroid in question (also called Psyche) is the largest metallic object that has been discovered so far in the solar system. About 200 kilometers in diameter, it orbits in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, and scientists think that it could be the naked core of a planet embryo, an object that would have received impacts that would have torn off its rocky cover.
The launch had been scheduled for today, the 12th, but the poor weather forecast has made NASA decide to reschedule the operation (there are new launch opportunities practically every day of this month).
The mission is part of NASA’s Discovery program, focused on the study of the solar system and which has the exploration of asteroids as one of its main pillars (in addition to Psyche, the OSIRIS-REx missions are included in this program, which has recently transported to Earth samples from the asteroid Bennu, and Lucy, which will be launched at the beginning of November towards the Jupiter Trojan asteroids).
There is various evidence, from observations made from Earth, that suggests the metallic composition of Psyche (possibly with a prevalence of iron and nickel). Firstly, the estimated density records show maximum values ??that could reach between 7.6 and 10 grams per cubic centimeter, a density much higher than that typical of rocky asteroids (which oscillates around 3 grams per cubic centimeter). ).
Secondly, the analysis of sunlight reflected by Psyche suggests a predominantly smooth surface, compatible with a metallic composition with only 10% rock. In addition, this analysis shows a capacity to reflect light again superior to that of typical asteroids.
Finally, the third indication of its peculiar composition comes from the study of the so-called thermal inertia, a parameter that measures the capacity of a celestial object to store heat during its day and emit it during its night. The estimated values ??are clearly higher than those observed in rocky asteroids.
Despite all this, it will not be until the moment it enters orbit, the year 2029, that the real nature of the asteroid will be confirmed, and astronomers admit to being prepared for surprises. As Paul Byrne, an astronomer at Washington University in St. Louis, has stated, “Who knows what we’re going to see when we get there.” Likewise, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the mission’s principal investigator, hopes that the mission will “totally surprise you.”
After leaving Earth, the Psyche spacecraft will use a close pass to the planet Mars, the year 2026, to correct its trajectory and gain speed. Arrival at the asteroid and entry into the first orbit is expected in August 2029.
Once in orbit, and during the first two months, the mission will focus on studying the object’s gravity, a parameter that is key not only for managing the spacecraft’s trajectories but is also fundamental for understanding the composition of Psyche. .
The spacecraft’s orbits will be adjusted over the next few months, and NASA hopes to experiment with four different altitudes, the lowest of which will drop to just 40 miles from the surface.
The main mission will end in November 2031, 26 months after arrival on Psyche.
The Psyche spacecraft carries various instruments on board that will allow us to study the asteroid and reveal some of its mysteries. For example, your magnetometer will be used to determine the existence of a possible magnetic field around the object.
The mission also incorporates a gamma ray spectrometer and a neutron spectrometer, equipment developed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and specialized in detecting and measuring the emissions generated by the asteroid when its surface is reached by energetic particles from space.
Likewise, among the instruments are two cameras (one main and one redundant, designed by Arizona State University) capable of capturing images in both the visible light range and also in the ultraviolet and near-infrared radiation range. This is intended to discriminate the metallic and rocky compositions of the surface of Psyche.
And to study the gravity of the asteroid, which is expected to be uneven due to its irregular shape, a radio transmission system with the Earth will be used, under the responsibility of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Air Propulsion Laboratory. Jet from NASA (JPL), which will detect small deviations generated in the orbit of the spacecraft.
The Psyche mission represents the first ever carried out to an M-type asteroid (the class that groups predominantly metallic objects). It is also the first in which a laser-based communication mechanism with the Earth will be tested, which can achieve transmission capacities between 10 and 100 times greater than traditional radio ones. To do this, the spacecraft carries a laser transmitter as well as a 22-centimeter aperture telescope capable of receiving light sent from Earth (about 300 million kilometers away).
Likewise, the spacecraft will test, for the first time beyond lunar orbit, electric impulse motors. The operation is based on capturing energy from the Sun through its solar panels, and using it to expel accelerated xenon ions (an inert gas), which, in turn, will generate the Psyche impulse.
Adding to the record of numbers one for the mission is the fact that NASA will use, for the launch, a Heavy Rocket rocket from the aerospace company SpaceX, becoming the first one carried out by the North American space agency with this rocket model.
