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Psyche spacecraft goes pedal to the metal toward its asteroid after a Mars flyby

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NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has fired up its thrusters and is accelerating toward the metal-rich asteroid of the same name after a successful Mars gravity assist, NASA said on 22 October 2026. Since 28 September it has been thrusting almost continuously.

Psyche spacecraft: A Hall thruster identical to those on the Psyche spacecraft glows blue during a vacuum chamber test at JPL
A Hall thruster identical to those on the Psyche spacecraft glows blue during a vacuum chamber test at JPL Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech (public domain).

How the Psyche spacecraft is now flying

During the first leg of its journey after an October 2023 launch, the mission used its electric propulsion only from time to time to get into position for the Mars flyby, which gave a propellant-saving speed boost and a slight change of course. Now the spacecraft pauses just once a week to check in with mission controllers. “It’s now ‘pedal to the metal’ to the asteroid Psyche,” said Don Han, the mission’s navigation lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The thrusters will be operating nearly 90% of the time from now until we reach the asteroid.” At its top cruise speed, the spacecraft will be travelling more than 100,000 mph (160,900 kph) relative to an observer on Earth, NASA said. The plan keeps it on track to arrive in the main asteroid belt by summer 2029.

Key Facts

  • Launched: October 2023
  • Near-continuous thrusting since: 28 September 2026
  • Thrust: up to 250 millinewtons
  • Xenon at launch: nearly 1,090 kg; about one third used
  • Arrival at asteroid Psyche: summer 2029

A gentle Hall thruster with a blue glow

Unlike conventional thrusters that burn large amounts of fuel in short, powerful bursts, Psyche’s solar-powered system uses electromagnetic fields to deliver up to 250 millinewtons of force, roughly the weight of an AA battery held in the hand. It works on the Hall effect: ions of the inert gas xenon are pushed out to create thrust and a bright blue glow. Two five-panel, cross-shaped solar arrays with a collecting area of 75 square metres power the system. The spacecraft launched with nearly 1,090 kg of xenon in seven tanks and has used about a third of it in three years. “For the next three months, we’ll be thrusting at full power before we begin slowly throttling down to approximately half power,” said Steve Snyder, lead engineer for propulsion operations at JPL, because the arrays will get less sunlight farther from the Sun.

Why the asteroid Psyche matters

The swirling xenon ions create a slight twisting force that reaction wheels absorb, and engineers periodically switch thrusters to dump that built-up momentum. Snyder said this is the first time anyone has measured this effect on a Hall thruster by power level and operating time over such a long period in space. On arrival in 2029, the spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Psyche, about 280 km across at its widest, which is thought to be the partial core of a planetesimal, an early planet building block. If it is a metallic core, it could offer a rare view of the interior of rocky planets like Earth. “Now we are cruising with confidence deeper into the solar system, powered by sunlight,” said principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton of the University of California, Berkeley.

Why It Matters: Psyche may be the exposed core of an early planet, offering a look at the kind of metal interior that is otherwise hidden deep inside worlds like Earth.

Also on TrendDesh: Perseverance rover sets record for the longest drive on another world at 45.22 km · JPL 90 years: NASA lab marks anniversary with SkyFall, MoonFall and NISAR on its slate

Source: NASA Psyche blog, 22 Oct 2026 · NASA: Psyche mission · NASA JPL

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