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The mission team has celebrated several successes since its launch from Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 13. The latest is the operation of the spacecraft\u2019s cameras.<\/em><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft is on a roll. In the eight weeks since it left Earth on Oct. 13, the orbiter has performed one successful operation after another, powering on scientific instruments, streaming data toward home, and setting a deep-space record with its electric thrusters. The latest achievement: On Monday, Dec. 4, the mission turned on Psyche\u2019s twin cameras and retrieved the first images \u2013 a milestone called \u201cfirst light.\u201d<\/p>\n Already 16 million miles (26 million kilometers) from Earth, the spacecraft will arrive at its destination \u2013 the asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter \u2013 in 2029. The team wanted to test all of the science instruments early in the long journey to make sure they are working as intended, and to ensure there would be plenty of time to calibrate and adjust them as needed.<\/p>\n The imager instrument, which consists of a pair of identical cameras, captured a total of 68 images, all within a star field in the constellation Pisces. The imager team is using the data to verify proper commanding, telemetry analysis, and calibration of the images.<\/p>\n \u201cThese initial images are only a curtain-opener,\u201d said Arizona State University\u2019s Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead. \u201cFor the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument, first light is a thrill. We start checking out the cameras with star images like these, then in 2026 we\u2019ll take test images of Mars during the spacecraft\u2019s flyby. And finally, in 2029 we\u2019ll get our most exciting images yet \u2013 of our target asteroid Psyche. We look forward to sharing all of these visuals with the public.\u201d<\/p>\n The imager takes pictures through multiple color filters, all of which were tested in these initial observations. With the filters, the team will use photographs in wavelengths of light both visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The imager team will also use the data to create 3D maps of the asteroid to better understand its geology, which will give clues about Psyche\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Earlier in the mission, in late October, the team powered on the magnetometer, which will provide crucial data to help determine how the asteroid formed. Evidence that the asteroid once had a magnetic field would be a strong indication that the body is a partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet. The information could help us better understand how our own planet formed. <\/p>\n Shortly after being powered on, the magnetometer gave scientists an unexpected gift: It detected a solar eruption, a common occurrence called a coronal mass ejection, where the Sun expels large quantities of magnetized plasma. Since then, the team has seen several of these events and will continue to monitor space weather as the spacecraft travels to the asteroid.<\/p>\n The good news is twofold. Data collected so far confirms that the magnetometer can precisely detect very small magnetic fields. It also confirms that the spacecraft is magnetically \u201cquiet.\u201d The electrical currents powering a probe of this size and complexity have the potential to generate magnetic fields that could interfere with science detections. Because Earth has its own powerful magnetic field, scientists obtained a much better measurement of the spacecraft magnetic field once it was in space.<\/p>\n On Nov. 8, amid all the work with the science instruments, the team fired up two of the four electric propulsion thrusters, setting a record: the first-ever use of Hall-effect thrusters in deep space. Until now, they\u2019d been used only on spacecraft going as far as lunar orbit. By expelling charged atoms, or ions, of xenon gas, the ultra-efficient thrusters will propel the spacecraft to the asteroid (a 2.2-billion-mile, or 3.6-billion-kilometer journey) and help it maneuver in orbit.<\/p>\n Less than a week later, on Nov. 14, the technology demonstration built into the spacecraft, an experiment called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), set its own record. DSOC achieved first light by sending and receiving optical data from far beyond the Moon. The instrument beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from nearly 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) away \u2013 the farthest-ever demonstration of optical communications.<\/p>\n The Psyche team has also successfully powered on the gamma-ray detecting component of its third science instrument, the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer. Next, the instrument\u2019s neutron-detecting sensors will be turned on the week of Dec. 11. Together those capabilities will help the team determine the chemical elements that make up the asteroid\u2019s surface material.<\/p>\n Arizona State University (ASU) leads the Psyche mission. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for the mission\u2019s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. ASU leads the operations of the imager instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego on the design, fabrication, and testing of the cameras.<\/p>\n Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA\u2019s Discovery Program, managed by the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service.<\/p>\n For more information about NASA\u2019s Psyche mission go to:<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Gretchen McCartney Karen Fox \/ Alana Johnson 2023-077<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSolar Surprise<\/strong><\/h3>\n
In the Zone<\/strong><\/h3>\n
More About the Mission<\/strong><\/h3>\n
News Media Contacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-287-4115
gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA Headquarters, Washington
301-286-6284 \/ 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov \/ alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov<\/p>\n