NASA’s journey to a strange metal asteroid should finally begin in October
A NASA probe approaches giant metal asteroid 16 Psyche in this concept art. NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission will send a small probe to a unique metal asteroid—a curious object that may be the exposed heart of a former planet. But to prepare for the 280-million-mile journey, engineers have had to attend to a million little details over the course of years of planning and construction. Working those out took more time than anticipated: NASA delayed Psyche’s launch last year, prompting concerns about the mission’s future and triggering an investigation into what caused the set back. On Monday, NASA announced that Psyche is thriving and on track for a new launch date in October 2023. “The 2023 launch date is credible, and the probability of mission success is high,” said A. Thomas...