Skip to content

Images

View as grid View as list

NASA and Psyche logos on a spacecraft fairing inside a facility, part of the Psyche mission transport to LC 39A

Psyche Transport from Astrotech to LC 39A Teams transport NASA’s encapsulated Psyche spacecraft from the Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville to Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space... 10-11-2023

Psyche Encapsulation Technicians encapsulate NASA’s Psyche spacecraft in its payload fairings – the cone at the top of the rocket – at the Astrotech Space Operations... 10-11-2023

Psyche spacecraft being encapsulated, showing two large white panels with blue frames partially enclosing the craft

Psyche Encapsulation Technicians encapsulate NASA’s Psyche spacecraft in its payload fairings – the cone at the top of the rocket – at the Astrotech Space Operations... 10-11-2023

Psyche spacecraft encapsulated in a clean room, with solar panels and technicians in protective suits nearby

Psyche Encapsulation Technicians encapsulate NASA’s Psyche spacecraft in its payload fairings – the cone at the top of the rocket – at the Astrotech Space Operations... 10-11-2023

NASA's Psyche spacecraft in a clean room, with technicians in protective gear working nearby

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Mate to Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) Technicians connected NASA’s Psyche spacecraft to the payload attach fitting inside the clean room at Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville,... 09-25-2023

NASA's Psyche spacecraft in a clean room, prepared for liftoff, with technicians in protective gear working nearby

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Mate to Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) Technicians connected NASA’s Psyche spacecraft to the payload attach fitting inside the clean room at Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville,... 09-25-2023

orbital operations graph

Psyche Orbital Operations NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will gather science at the asteroid Psyche at four orbit altitudes, as depicted in this graphic. It has been updated to... 09-11-2023

ascent timeline

Psyche Launch Ascent Timeline This graphic shows the expected timeline of milestones immediately following liftoff for NASA’s Psyche spacecraft if Psyche launches at the beginning... 09-11-2023

psyche arrival graph

Psyche Mission Timeline Image NASA’s Psyche spacecraft takes a spiral path to the asteroid Psyche, as depicted in this graphic that shows the path from above the plane of the... 09-11-2023

Engineers in clean suits work on NASA's Psyche spacecraft in a lab, with an American flag in the background

NASA’s Psyche: Picking up Launch Prep for 2023 NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is shown in a clean room on Dec. 8, 2022, at Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center... 01-24-2023

Diagram of asteroid Psyche's orbits A, B, C, and D, with altitudes and durations, and sun position during orbit A

Orbiting Asteroid Psyche (Illustration) This illustration shows how NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will explore the asteroid Psyche, beginning with Orbit A when it arrives at the asteroid in... 12-20-2021

Two thrusters are visible beneath red round protective covers, after being integrated into the spacecraft.

Psyche Thrusters: Integration Complete NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is photographed in July 2021 during the mission’s assembly, test, and launch operations phase at the agency’s... 09-20-2021

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California work to integrate Hall thrusters into the agency's Psyche spacecraft in this July 2021 photo. One of the thrusters is visible on the side of the spacecraft beneath a red protective cover. Psyche is set to launch in August 2022 and will travel to its target, a metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche, under the power of solar electric propulsion. This super-efficient mode of propulsion uses solar arrays to capture sunlight that is converted into electricity to power the spacecraft's Hall thrusters. They work by turning xenon gas, a neutral gas used in car headlights and plasma TVs, into xenon ions. As the xenon ions are accelerated out of the thruster, they create the thrust that will propel the spacecraft. This will be the first use of Hall thrusters beyond lunar orbit, demonstrating that they could play a role in supporting future deep space missions. Arizona State University in Tempe leads the Psyche mission. JPL is responsible for the mission's overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, supplied the thrusters and built the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. For more information about NASA's Psyche mission, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/psyche or https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Psyche’s Thruster Integration Underway Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California work to integrate Hall thrusters into the agency’s Psyche spacecraft in... 09-20-2021

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California prepare to integrate four Hall thrusters (beneath red protective covers) into the agency's Psyche spacecraft in July 2021.

Preparing Psyche’s Thruster Installation Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California prepare to integrate four Hall thrusters (beneath red protective covers) into... 09-20-2021

Image showing the gamma-ray spectrometer component of the GRNS instrument. It has a large central cannister with many wires and cables on a metal stand.

Psyche Gamma-Ray Spectrometer The Psyche gamma-ray spectrometer uses a high-purified germanium crystal to capture gamma rays emitted by asteroid Psyche. These gamma rays can reveal... 09-02-2021

Image showing the neutron spectrometer component of the GRNS instrument. It has a series of tubes on a metal stand.

Psyche Neutron Spectrometer The Psyche neutron spectrometer uses three cylinders filled with a gas of helium-3, an isotope of helium that will rapidly grab free neutrons emitted by... 09-02-2021