Updated 20:11 IST, October 13th 2023
NASA's Psyche mission lifts off successfully aboard SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
NASA's Psyche mission successfully lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center aboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to learn more about Earth and solar system.
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NASA's Psyche mission successfully lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center to learn more about the Earth. The $1 billion mission soared to the skies aboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket after the launch at 7:49 pm IST on Friday and reached orbit under ten minutes later.
Both boosters of the Falcon Heavy landed back on the launch pad after delivering the spacecraft to orbit.
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Spacecraft will start observing the asteroid in August 2029
With ten years in the making, the Psyche spacecraft will reach its destination - an asteroid named 16 Psyche - after travelling around 4 billion km in 2029. According to NASA, the spacecraft will start observing the asteroid in August 2029.
The Psyche asteroid is believed to be a 'planetismal,' an early stage planetary body whose outer crust was eroded after intense collision. Scientists say it will help learn more about our planet's core and the evolution of the solar system. Tap here to learn more about the mission.
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The spacecraft measures 81 feet wide with its solar panels fully deployed and weighs over 2,700 kg, equal to the size of small bus. Once its reaches its destination, it will circle the asteroid in a 33-hour-long orbit and gradually zero in into an orbit just four hours long.
NASA said that the spacecraft will collect high-resolution data of the asteroid including its chemistry for 26 months.
Published 20:00 IST, October 13th 2023