Psyche Interactive
ABHIGYAAN DEEP
March 3rd, 2026
Major: AeroSpace Engineering
Genre/Medium: TypeScript, GLSL, React
About the work:
Psyche Interactive is a browser-based, landscape-first experience that documents NASA’s Psyche mission from launch to arrival at its target asteroid. Built in TypeScript with React for the 2D interface and Three.js/WebGL for 3D visualizations, it’s designed to give users both an educational and immersive journey through one of space exploration’s most ambitious missions.
The experience begins on Earth, centered on the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Users are introduced to the Falcon 9 rocket carrying Psyche, with sequential cards displaying real launch footage as the vehicle ascends into orbit. These cards visually trace the rocket’s trajectory, giving a sense of scale and motion while guiding the user through the early stages of the mission.
Once Psyche reaches space, the interactive component kicks in. Users can explore the spacecraft in detail by clicking on various components to learn how each one functions. A significant highlight is DSOC, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment, which demonstrates high-speed laser-based communication. In a playful touch, DSOC streams a video of Taters the cat back to Earth at an unprecedented 33 MB/s, showing the cutting-edge capabilities of deep-space data transfer in a way that’s both accessible and entertaining.
After completing a gravity assist maneuver, users arrive at Psyche itself, an asteroid still largely mysterious to scientists. Current models only approximate its shape, leaving room for interpretation. Psyche Interactive allows users to become designers, drawing their own version of the asteroid on a canvas. The spacecraft can then orbit this user-created model, highlighting the open-ended nature of space exploration and the vast extent of the universe that remains uncharted.
By combining real footage, interactive exploration, and creative participation, Psyche Interactive turns a complex mission into a hands-on journey. It balances education, engagement, and imagination, letting users experience the thrill of deep-space exploration while learning about spacecraft technology, mission planning, and the unknowns that make space science so compelling.
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