NASA will host a news conference to discuss the agency’s upcoming Psyche mission, which will be its first to visit a metal-rich asteroid. Riding along with Psyche is a laser transceiver for NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration.
Briefing participants are expected to include:
- Lori Glaze, director, Planetary Sciences Division
- Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator
- Henry Stone, project manager
- Abi Biswas, project technologist for DSOC
- Serkan Bastug, mission manager, Launch Services Program
Psyche is a NASA interplanetary mission to visit the main belt asteroid of the same name, 16 Psyche. Spacecraft will take 4 years and one Mars flyby to reach the asteroid, which is of particular interest due to being comprised mostly of iron and nickel. Psyche is theorized to be a remnant of an early planet's core, and may offer insights into how solar system formed and evolved. The mission is led by Arizona State University, with NASA JPL being responsible for mission management and operations.
Heliocentric N/A B1079 - Maiden Flight Atlantic Ocean B1065 - Flight Proven ( ) Landing Zone 2 B1064 - Flight Proven ( ) Landing Zone 1