NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, which launched on October 13, has successfully performed space missions, including launching scientific instruments and setting records for electric thrusters. The spacecraft, now millions of miles from Earth, used two cameras to capture its first images. Important milestones include testing various instruments such as magnetometers and gamma-ray spectrometers, and the use of Hall effect thrusters for deep space travel. Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/ASU
The mission team has had several successes since launching from Kennedy Space Center on October 13th. The latest is operating the spacecraft’s camera.
NASAThe Psyche spacecraft is progressing smoothly. In the eight weeks since leaving Earth on October 13, the orbiter has performed one successful operation after another, including powering up scientific instruments, streaming data back home, and setting a deep space record with its electric thrusters. I went.Latest Achievements: Mission launched on Monday, December 4th psycheThe first image was obtained using the twin cameras of This is a milestone called “first light.”
![NASA Psych first image](https://scitechdaily.com/images/NASA-Psyche-First-Images-777x321.jpg)
This mosaic of the Pisces star field was created from “first light” images taken on Dec. 4 by both cameras on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/ASU
Already 16 million miles (26 million kilometers) from earththe spacecraft reaches its destination, the asteroid Psyche, located in the main asteroid belt. Mars and Jupiter – 2029. The team wanted to test all scientific equipment early on the long journey to ensure it worked as intended and to have enough time to calibrate and adjust as needed.
The imager, consisting of two identical cameras, took a total of 68 images within the star field of Pisces. The imager team uses this data to verify proper commands, telemetry analysis, and image calibration.
![NASA Psyche annotated first image](https://scitechdaily.com/images/NASA-Psyche-First-Images-Annotated-777x321.jpg)
This is the same image as above, but now labeled with the star’s name. Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/ASU
“These first images are just the beginning,” said Jim Bell, leader of Arizona State University’s psych imager. “First light is a thrill for the team that designed and operated this sophisticated instrument. We will begin checking the camera with images of stars like this one, and hope to see it on board the spacecraft in 2026. We will take test images of Mars during the flyby, and finally, in 2029, we will get our most exciting image yet – the target asteroid Psyche. All these visuals will be available to the public. I look forward to sharing it with you.”
The imager takes pictures through multiple color filters, all of which were tested in these initial observations. Using filters, the research team plans to use photos of wavelengths of light visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The image processing team also plans to use that data to create her 3D map of the asteroid to better understand its geology and gain clues about Psyche’s history.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will use sensitive cameras to allow scientists to observe metal-rich asteroids that have never been photographed up close. Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/ASU
solar surprise
Early in the mission, in late October, the team turned on the magnetometer. The magnetometer will provide important data that will help uncover how asteroids formed. Evidence that asteroids once had magnetic fields would strongly suggest that they are partial cores of planetesimals, the building blocks of early planets. This information could help us better understand how our own planet formed.
Shortly after turning on the magnetometer, it gave scientists an unexpected gift. It detected solar explosions, a common phenomenon called coronal mass ejections, in which the Sun ejects large amounts of magnetized material. plasma. Since then, the team has observed several of these phenomena and will continue to monitor space weather as the spacecraft travels toward the asteroid.
The good news is twofold. The data collected so far confirms that the magnetometer can accurately detect very small magnetic fields. We can also confirm that the spacecraft is magnetically “quiet.” Electric current flowing through a probe of this size and complexity could generate magnetic fields that could interfere with scientific detection. Because Earth has its own strong magnetic field, scientists can now more accurately measure a spacecraft’s magnetic field once in space.
The Psyche spacecraft contains many unavoidable magnetic field sources, which must be taken into account to measure the magnetic field signature of the metal-rich Psyche asteroid. This visual shows the complex nature of a spacecraft’s magnetic field, modeled as the sum of over 200 individual fields originating from various spacecraft subsystems and instruments. The magnetic sources include hard magnets as well as current loops that generate variable magnetic fields within the two solar array wings that extend outward from the spacecraft. The magnetic field lines emanating from these sources are spatially color-coded according to their strength, with red indicating high field strength and blue indicating low field strength.Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology
within the zone
On November 8, amidst all the scientific equipment work, the team activated two of the four electric propulsion thrusters, setting a record for their first use. hall effect thruster In deep space. Until now, it was only used on spacecraft that went all the way to lunar orbit. The super-efficient thrusters propel the spacecraft to the asteroid (a journey of 2.2 billion miles, or 3.6 billion kilometers) and help maneuver it in orbit by ejecting charged atoms, or ions, of xenon gas.
Less than a week later, on November 14, a demonstration of a technology built into the spacecraft called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) set its own record. DSOC achieved the first light by transmitting and receiving optical data from beyond the moon. The instrument fired a near-infrared laser that encoded test data from about 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) away. This is the farthest demonstration of optical communications ever.
The Psyche team also successfully powered up the gamma-ray detection component of a third scientific instrument, the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer. Next, the instrument’s neutron detection sensor will turn on during the week of December 11th. Combining these features will help the team identify the chemical elements that make up the asteroid’s surface material.
Mission details
Arizona State University (ASU) is leading the Psyche mission. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, is responsible for overall mission management, systems engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies of Palo Alto, Calif., provided the high-power solar-electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. ASU will lead imager equipment operations and work with Marine Space Science Systems in San Diego to design, manufacture and test the cameras.
JPL manages the DSOC for the Technology Demonstration Mission Program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and the Space Communications and Navigation Program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate.
Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based in Kennedy, managed the launch services.