NASA puts final pieces together for Psyche metal asteroid mission
APRIL 6, 2021 / 3:00 AM
By Paul Brinkmann
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory plans to send the Psyche spacecraft, shown in an illustration, to a distant metallic asteroid in 2022. Image courtesy of NASA
ORLANDO, Fla., April 6 (UPI) -- NASA's Psyche asteroid spacecraft is coming together on schedule in California for an August 2022 launch from Florida to explore the giant hunk of metal that circles the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
The space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena took delivery of the main body of the spacecraft, or chassis, in March and started assembly work, Robert Mase, deputy project manager for the nearly $1 billion mission, told UPI via email.
"The next big milestone comes when it ships to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in spring 2022," Mase said.
Technicians and engineers now will begin final assembly, he said.
That includes outfitting the craft with the sensors needed to analyze the metal space object, including a variety of imaging equipment that can determine types of metal or other substances based on reflected light or radiation.
More:
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/04/06/NASA-Psyche-asteroid-mission/2381617385233/?ur3=1
