NASA announced on Friday the work of the Psyche asteroid, the agency’s first mission to study a metal-rich asteroid, will not make its planned launch of 2022. to complete the required testing ahead of the rest of the launch period this year, which ends in Oct. 11. The equipment team needs extra time to ensure that the software will work properly on the fly.
NASA selected Psyche in 2017 as part of the agency Discovery Program, a low-cost line, competing equipment led by one chief investigator. The agency forms an independent evaluation team to review the project’s progress and information system. “NASA considers the cost and accountability of its projects and programs to be of paramount importance,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, deputy director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. in Washington. “We are looking at mission options in the context of the Acquisition Plan, and a decision on the way forward will be made in the coming months.”
An independent evaluation team, usually made up of experts from government, education, and industry, will review the possible options for the next steps, which include limited costs. The implications of the Center Discovery Program and the planetary science portfolio will also be considered. The spacecraft and flight software will control the spacecraft as it flies in space and is used to point the spacecraft toward Earth so that the spacecraft can send. data and receive commands. It also provides tracking information on the solar-powered space shuttle system, which comes into effect 70 days after launch.
As the equipment team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California began testing the system, a problem was found to match the testing software simulations. In May, NASA changed the launch date for the missions from August 1 to before September 20 so it could receive the required work. Problem with testbeds identified and fixed; however, there is not enough time to complete a comprehensive software test to be launched this year. ” We have to fix it well. Hundreds of people have put a lot of effort into Psyche during this time of violence, and work will continue as sophisticated aircraft software is tested and tested, ”said JPL Director Laurie Leshin. “The decision to postpone the launch was not an easy one, but it was a good one.”
2022 launch time, which began in Aug. 1 to Oct. 11, we would allow the spacecraft to reach the asteroid Psyche by 2026. There are possible launch times for both 2023 and 2024, but the orbital conditions associated with Psyche and Earth mean that the spacecraft will not reach the sky until 2029 and 2030, respectively. Exact dates for these probable periods have not been determined. “Our amazing team has overcome almost all the amazing challenges of building a spacecraft during COVID,” said Psyche chief investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University (ASU), who is leading the work. “We have overcome many hardware and software challenges, and we are finally stopped by this last issue. We need less time and will be licked with this one. The team is ready to move on, and I am very grateful for their good performance. ”
The total cost of Psyche’s complete life cycle equipment, including rocket, is $ 985 million. Of that, $ 717 million has been spent so far. The estimated cost involved to support each complete range of available mechanical options is currently calculated. Two boarding projects are scheduled to be launched with the same SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as Psyche, including NASA’s Janus campaign to study twin binary asteroid systems, and the demonstration of Deep Space technology. Optical Communications to test high-level laser communication connected to the Psyche spacecraft. NASA is exploring options for both projects. ASU is leading the Psyche campaign. JPL, owned by NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, is responsible for managing all of this equipment; system engineering; integration and testing; and mechanical functions. Maxar offers a chassis for high-powered electric spacecraft. NASA’s Launch Services program, based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launching the launch.
For more read: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-launch-delay-for-psyche-asteroid-mission
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