The US space agency's latest mission will investigate a mountainous object made mostly from iron.
An American space agency probe has left Earth to visit one of the most unusual objects in the Solar System.
The launch of the investigating spacecraft, also named Psyche, took place from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Artist's impression. It's called 16 Psyche because it was the 16th asteroid to be discovered, in 1852 When the spacecraft arrives at the asteroid in August 2029, it will orbit at various distances - the shortest being roughly 75km - to map the metal world's shape and decipher its internal structure and composition.The pictures are sure to be fascinating.
"And the other idea is that Psyche is a kind of primordial unmelted body, basically formed of the very first materials in the Solar System that came together under gravity and it was then preserved in this primordial state ever since." But Dr Helena Bates, a meteorite expert from London's Natural History Museum, said the emergence of such an industry was a way off yet.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Watch live: NASA launches mission to Psyche asteroid seeking clues to how planets formedNASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Caltech and Arizona State University will launch the Psyche mission in October 2023, sending a spacecraft to a metal asteroid.
Read more »
NASA live stream: How to watch Psyche mission live in the UK today and what time it launchesThe craft will travel through space for six years to reach its destination
Read more »
What time is the Nasa launch? UK launch time for ‘Psyche’ mission and how to watch liveInclement weather conditions mean the original launch date has been postponed until Friday 13 October
Read more »
NASA Launches First of Its Kind Mission to a Mysterious and Rare Metal AsteroidA SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Oct. 13, 2023. The spacecraft will travel to the metallic asteroid Psyche, where it will enter orbit in 2029 and be the first spacecraft to explore a metal-rich asteroid.
Read more »
'I've landed major NASA role and dream to be first beauty queen in space'Jessica Gagen proved she has brains as well as beauty after graduating as a rocket scientist in the summer
Read more »
Water and Carbon Revealed in NASA’s Ancient Asteroid SamplesThis photo provided by NASA on Oct. 11, 2023, shows the outside of the Osiris-Rex sample collector with material from asteroid Bennu at middle right. Scientists have found evidence of both carbon and water in initial analysis of this material. The bulk of the sample is located inside.
Read more »