NASA postpones the launch of Psyche due to software issues

(NASA)

NASA has postponed the launch of the new mission Psyche by at least a month and a half due to problems with the software responsible for controlling the probe.

The agency now wants to launch on September 20, and the arrival of the spacecraft to the asteroid Psyche is scheduled for 2026.

The target of the mission is the asteroid Psyche, considered the largest representative of metallic asteroids

The researchers think Psyche may be the core of a protoplanet or its fragment that formed in the early solar system.

The mission will study the asteroid from orbit using the following instruments:

• a multispectral camera
• a magnetometer
• a gamma
• neutron spectrometer
• a microwave instrument.

The scientific program is designed for 21 months. During that time the ship will study the asteroid’s physical properties, the morphology and composition of its surface and internal structure.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech)

At the end of last April, the agency announced the completion of tests of the already assembled station and its dispatch to the space center.

NASA expected that the launch of the ship onboard a Falcon Heavy would take place in early August.

However, last week (May 23), the agency decided to postpone it until at least September 20 of this year.

The reason for the transfer was the current inability to confirm that the software responsible for managing the station is working in accordance with the plan.

The agency has not specified exactly what problems have arisen and how they are being solved.

The experts don’t think the delay is going to have much of an impact on Psyche's arrival date at the asteroid, which is currently set for 2026.

Source:

• NASA: https://blogs.nasa.gov/psyche/
• Space.com: https://www.space.com/nasa-psyche-asteroid-mission-delay-software-glitch

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