NASA's Psyche spacecraft launched on October 13 to a metal-rich asteroid estimated to be worth $10 trillion in the hope of helping humans better understand how they formed.
Psyche takes off on Falcon Heavy rocket. Video : Space
The asteroid probe lifted off on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. Psyche is the rocket's first official interplanetary mission and also the first NASA mission launched on Falcon Heavy. Liftoff took place at 10:19 p.m. on October 13, Hanoi time.
The probe will fly to the asteroid 16 Psyche. Of the nine metal-rich asteroids in the solar system, Psyche is the largest, said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA's science mission. The asteroid is 175 miles wide and 145 miles long, making it larger than the state of Connecticut. Scientists don't know exactly what 16 looks like, but they do know that its surface is made up of nickel and iron, worth an estimated $10 trillion. The asteroid is thought to be the core of an ancient protoplanet. Researchers hope that examining the metallic body in detail can help us better understand how planets formed.
The spacecraft will reach 16 Psyche in July 2029. Along the way, it will use the gravitational energy of Mars as it flies past the red planet to accelerate in May 2026. After flying 3.5 billion kilometers, Psyche will enter the asteroid's orbit and spend about a month checking systems and making adjustments to prepare for the mission. From August 2029, Psyche will spend 21 months mapping and analyzing the asteroid's surface.
An Khang (According to Space )
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