CNN Indonesia
Saturday, 14 Oct 2023 06:00 WIB
Illustration. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket transported the Psyche mission into space. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP)
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Spaceship Psyche was successfully launched into space and began its journey towards asteroid which is rich in metals with a mission to find out the origins of the formation of rocky planets like Earth.
According to information NASA“Psyche was successfully launched on Friday at 10.19 EDT (21.19 WIB) using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.”
“Congratulations to the Psyche team on their successful launch, the first trip to a metal-rich asteroid,” NASA Director Bill Nelson said in a statement.
“The Psyche mission could provide humanity with new information about planet formation while testing technologies that could be used on future NASA missions.”
The Psyche mission, NASA said, is a “Deep Space Optical Communication technology demonstration,” a test of deep space laser communications that could support future exploration missions.
The advantage is that it has more bandwidth to transmit data compared to traditional radio frequency communications.
Five minutes after liftoff, after the rocket’s second stage had risen to a high enough altitude, its fairing (an additional structure to reduce drag) separated from the rocket and returned to Earth.
About an hour after launch, the spacecraft separated from the rocket, and controllers on the ground waited to get a signal from the spacecraft.
Before long, the Psyche spaceship entered the planned safe mode. Namely, just completing minimal engineering activities while waiting for further orders from mission controllers on Earth.
Psyche established two-way communication at 11.50 EDT (22.50 WIB) with NASA’s Deep Space Network complex in Canberra, Australia. Initial telemetry reports indicate the spacecraft is in good condition.
“But this isn’t actually the finish line; it’s the starting line for the next marathon. Our spacecraft will depart for our asteroid, and we will fill another gap in our knowledge – and color another world in our solar system,” said Lindy Elkins- Tanton, Psyche principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe.
In August 2029, the spacecraft will begin orbiting the 279-kilometre-wide asteroid 16 Psyche – the only metallic-class asteroid ever explored.
Because of Psyche’s high content of iron-nickel metal, scientists think it may be part of the core of a planetesimal, a building block of early planets. The goal is a 26-month science investigation.
“By studying the asteroid Psyche, we hope to better understand the universe and our place in it, especially regarding the mysterious and impossible to reach metallic core on our home planet, Earth,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
During its six-year, 3.6 billion-kilometer journey to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Psyche relied on solar electric propulsion.
Efficient propulsion systems work by removing charged atoms or ions from the neutral gas xenon to create thrust that gently propels the spacecraft.
During its journey, the spacecraft will use Mars’ gravity as a kind of catapult to speed up its journey.
The first 100 days of the mission are phases commissioningcalled the initial inspection period, to ensure all flight systems are healthy.
The key to this inspection is making sure the electric thruster is ready to start throwing continuously on a long trajectory.
The first opportunity to demonstrate optical communications technology is expected to occur in about three weeks. Namely, when Psyche was around 7.5 million kilometers from Earth.
This will be a test of high-speed optical or laser communications beyond the Moon.
“In the coming weeks, Deep Space Optical Communications will begin transmitting data back to Earth to test this critical capability for the future of space exploration,” said Prasun Desai, acting associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA headquarters.
“The insights we learn will help us advance this innovative new technology and, ultimately, achieve even bolder goals in space.”
(team/arh)
2023-10-13 23:00:48
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