NASA revealed that the next mission is a detailed study of one of the biggest asteroids in our solar system, “16 Psyche,” and the resources on the asteroid are worth nearly $10,000 Quadrillion. The launch complex 39A, at Kennedy Space Center, will be used to launch the mission spacecraft.
The mission is named “Psyche” and aims to reach the asteroid in between Mars and Jupiter with the use of SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. The spacecraft will travel for four years and reach the asteroid in the year 2026.
Psyche is part of NASA’s Discovery mission. The spacecraft will orbit the 16 Psyche for up to 21 months. The objective of the mission is to study its formation, determine its age on regional bases, study gravity, and conduct some tests through gamma rays, magnetometer, neutron meter, etc.
The Psyche mission also includes a test run for a new communication technology called Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC). The technology will aid communication by shortening the time between Earth and deep space.