Psyche is a NASA Discovery Program space mission launched on October 13, 2023 to explore the origin of planetary cores by orbiting and studying the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche beginning in 2029. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the project.
An illustration of the Psyche spacecraft
Artist's illustration depicting the metal-rich asteroid Psyche.
Shape model of asteroid Psyche, with some of the observed surface features indicated.
SPT-140 Hall-effect thrusters undergoing testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The Discovery Program is a series of Solar System exploration missions funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Planetary Missions Program Office. The cost of each mission is capped at a lower level than missions from NASA's New Frontiers or Flagship Programs. As a result, Discovery missions tend to be more focused on a specific scientific goal rather than serving a general purpose.
Depictions of the Lucy and Psyche missions
Asteroid Eros regolith, as viewed by Discovery's NEAR Shoemaker mission
Asteroid 253 Mathilde
Mars Pathfinder's view of Ares Vallis