NASA extends launch date of Psyche spacecraft to September 20 after identifying defect

NASA, on May 25, announced that its asteroid-exploring Psyche spacecraft will now launch no earlier than September 20. The probe was initially targetted for a launch on August 1 atop the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the latest mission update, NASA said that its team needs more time to confirm that all hardware and software systems are operating correctly. The agency said that the engineers have identified a flaw that is preventing confirmation that the software controlling the spacecraft is functioning as planned. "The team is working to identify and correct the issue," NASA said in its statement.

Earlier this month, the spacecraft was shipped from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to the Kennedy Space Center where it is undergoing additional preparations before the launch. 

Learn more about the Psyche mission

Under this mission, NASA is sending the Psyche spacecraft to an asteroid of the same name, which lies in the asteroid belt and is made completely out of metal. Scientists have believed that terrestrial planets, including Earth, have metallic cores embedded within them. But they lie unreachably far below the planets’ rocky mantles and crusts which makes them inaccessible. Now, the Psyche asteroid is NASA's target because astronomers think that the space rock was once a planetary core that got stripped of its outer layer due to collisions with other planetary bodies. 

"The asteroid Psyche offers a unique window into these building blocks of planet formation and the opportunity to investigate a previously unexplored type of world," the agency says. Interestingly, the Psyche asteroid will be the first-ever metal object in space humans have ever visited. According to NASA, this mission is currently in “Phase D” of the six phases, A-F, any space mission has. In the current phase, the engineers are focussed on the instrument and spacecraft assembly and testing and launch. 

Currently under development, the spacecraft will spend about 21 months orbiting the asteroid and will map the space rock to provide insights into how planets with a metal core including the Earth formed. Following its liftoff in September, Psyche will embark on a four-year-long journey and will arrive at its destination in early 2026.

Image: NASA