NASA announced the postponement of the PSYCHE spacecraft’s launch date to October 12. This marks the first interplanetary mission for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The launch will take place at the Kennedy NASA Space Center in Florida, and it will be the eighth mission for SpaceX’s powerful rocket, which made its debut in February 2018 and the first for NASA.
The launch window will be open until October 25. Due to the possibility of a government shutdown on October 1, NASA and SpaceX may need to set additional deadlines. In the event of a government shutdown, NASA will likely seek permission to proceed with the launch, deeming it a vital operation. However, there is no guarantee that such permission will be granted.
This is not the first delay for the PSYCHE mission. Originally scheduled for last year, the launch was postponed due to issues discovered in the spacecraft’s flight software.
After the launch, PSYCHE will travel to its destination – a unique metallic object located mainly in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, covering a distance of 280 km. The spacecraft is expected to reach its destination in 2029. Scientists believe that PSYCHE could be the exposed core of a protoplanet that suffered one or more impacts, resulting in the loss of its outer layers.
“I’m eagerly anticipating the first images,” said Lori Glaise, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, during a press conference earlier this month. “They will be truly amazing once we finally get a close-up view of this metallic asteroid.”
Falcon Heavy is currently the second most powerful rocket in operation, surpassed only by NASA’s Space Launch System. At present, Falcon Heavy has been launched seven times, with the most recent launch occurring on July 26.