
In less than 80 days NASA and SpaceX will launch a solar-powered spacecraft on a 2.5 billion miles (four billion kilometers) journey to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to reveal the truth about an asteroid called 16 Psyche.
Its unusual composition of iron and nickel has led to speculation that 16 Psyche could be worth about $10,000 quadrillion. Perhaps more importantly, it will give planetary scientists a chance to study an iron core like the one located in the center of the Earth—and uncover a new kind of metal world in the solar system.
NASA Update
In an update from NASA posted online the space agency today said that a team of 30 engineers and technicians are working almost around the clock to get the spacecraft—also called Psyche—ready.
Psyche is scheduled launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 10:38 a.m. EDT (7:38 a.m. PDT) on Thursday, October 5, 2023. The launch window stretches to Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
Typically used to launch heavy satellites, Psyche will be the Falcon Heavy’s first interplanetary launch.
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