Why NASA’s Exploration Of This Metal-Packed Asteroid Could Have Big Implications

As well as studying this unique metal asteroid, the Psyche mission will be a testing ground for some new technologies as well. To travel on its long journey to the asteroid belt, Psyche will use a solar electric propulsion system that uses the sun’s rays to create electric and magnetic fields which pushes xenon gas out the back of the engines, driving the spacecraft forward.

This is an extremely efficient system which is often used by satellites. Most deep space missions use chemical propulsion instead, but the efficiency of the electric propulsion method will help carry the craft on its long journey without needing too much fuel.

“Even in the beginning, when we were first designing the mission in 2012, we were talking about solar electric propulsion as part of the plan. Without it, we wouldn’t have the Psyche mission,” said Psyche principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University via JPL. “And it’s become part of the character of the mission. It takes a specialized team to calculate trajectories and orbits using solar electric propulsion.”

In addition, Psyche will also carry a communications test called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) which will use lasers to transmit information back to Earth. The idea is to increase the bandwidth of communications, which will allow future missions to send back more information from their instruments. The test will be performed for the first two years of the mission, sending data from distances of up to 240 million miles (390 million kilometers).