Psyche is a man-made spacecraft represented in the Solar System, the region of space around the Sun, our star, within the universe. Its catalogue reference body is Sun. Explore its story and purpose, then find the spacecraft on the interactive 3D space map.

Psyche — Travels to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche.

Mission and scientific objectives
Psyche is associated with NASA / Arizona State University / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Travels to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The mission type is Asteroid rendezvous probe.

Mission chronology
Psyche is the destination, not an already completed visit.

The Psyche spacecraft launched Oct. 13, 2023, on a mission to a unique metal-rich asteroid with the same name.

The Psyche spacecraft is on its way to begin exploring asteroid Psyche by August 2029. Scientists think the asteroid has a high metal content, and may be the partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet.

Psyche is a NASA mission to study a metal-rich asteroid with the same name, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Psyche will begin its prime mission in August 2029. It will spend about two years orbiting the asteroid to take pictures, map the surface, and collect data to determine Psyche’s composition.

Psyche is the first mission to explore an asteroid with a surface that contains substantial amounts of metal rather than rock or ice.

The mission will improve our knowledge of iron cores, a previously unexplored building block of planet formation.

With its solar arrays deployed, NASA's Psyche spacecraft is big enough to almost cover a tennis court.

Psyche’s main computer, flight software, fault-protection systems, and most of the telecommunications systems come from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. Attached to Psyche is the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), a NASA experiment that will test optical, or laser, communications beyond the Moon.

NASA’s Psyche Mission Delivers Mars Flyby Data, Time-lapse Video

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft flew by Mars on May 15, using the planet’s gravity to gain speed and slightly tilt its trajectory. The flyby also gave the team an opportunity to prep for the science they will be conducting when they reach the metal-rich asteroid Psyche in 2029.

NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid

The spacecraft successfully maneuvered around Mars on May 15, speeding it up and setting its course for the main asteroid belt, where it will study the asteroid Psyche in 2029. The flyby also served as a training run, during which Psyche calibrated its instruments ahead of its asteroid encounter, while capturing unique views of the Red Planet.

On May 15, the Psyche spacecraft flew by Mars for a gravity assist, a maneuver harnessing the planet’s gravitational pull, to slingshot it the rest of the way on its journey to the asteroid belt. Relive the event, or see where Psyche is right now, using NASA's 3D interactive app, “Eyes on the Solar System.”

The Growing Crescent of Mars as NASA’s Psyche Mission Approaches

NASA’s Psyche Mission Images Details of Martian Surface During Flyby

NASA’s Psyche Mission Images Mars’ Huygens Crater

Psyche is the first mission to explore an asteroid with a surface that contains substantial amounts of metal rather than…

Planning, building, launching, and operating a spacecraft takes lots of people. Meet the Psyche mission team.