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NASA is on a continuous mission of exploration of the cosmos. One such mission, Psyche, scheduled to launch in October 2023, promises to unveil the secrets of a metal-rich asteroid like never before. This ambitious endeavor is set to use cutting-edge technology, including highly sensitive cameras. Asteroid Psyche follows quickly on the heels of the successful mission by NASA called DART in which the US space agency crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in order to deflect it from its path.
Psyche Mission
The Psyche mission is led by Arizona State University. Psyche’s primary objective is to investigate a fascinating celestial body known as Asteroid Psyche, an M-class asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Psyche holds the potential to provide crucial insights into the formation of our solar system. According to NASA, It’s the 16th asteroid that was discovered back in the 19th century.
At the heart of this mission are the Psyche multispectral imagers. These are a pair of identical cameras equipped with filters and telescopic lenses. These cameras are designed to photograph the asteroid’s surface in various wavelengths of light, enabling scientists to construct a digital terrain model of Psyche. This model will not only reveal the asteroid’s surface features but also shed light on its geochemistry and composition.
While explaining about the Psyche mission, Planetary scientist and the mission co-investigator Jim Bell of Arizona State University, said, “We’ll also take pictures farther out into the infrared, where the sensors are still sensitive and where we can get a little bit more information about the kinds of rocks and minerals on the surface.”
In addition to their scientific role, the cameras will also be used for navigation as well. The instruments of the Psyche mission are being built by Malin Space Science Systems, a company renowned for building instruments used in previous space missions, including those to Mars and the Moon.
As we eagerly await the launch of Psyche in 2023, one thing is certain: the images and data captured by these remarkable cameras will redefine our understanding of this enigmatic metal-rich asteroid. Psyche mission is expected to bring us one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of the cosmos.
However, there is one more thing. NASA has revealed that the Psyche Asteroid Mission has been delayed by a week. However, the window of opportunity for the launch is still open and the delay will not affect the mission in any way. Psyche mission launch date has been shifted to October 12, 2023, at 10:16 a.m. EDT.
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