New Space and Tech

NASA’s Journey to the Metal World Psyche Could Usher in New Era of Exploration

By David Ariosto
SpaceRef
September 8, 2023
Filed under , ,
NASA’s Journey to the Metal World Psyche Could Usher in New Era of Exploration
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

In less than a month, NASA is scheduled to embark upon a series of firsts: The first journey to an unknown metallic asteroid, Psyche. The first deep space use of Hall effect thrusters, a hyper- efficient type of propulsion tech that allows for smaller, cost-effective spacecrafts. The first interplanetary mission launched from a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. And, finally, the first-ever deep space test of a new laser communication technology, which works by encoding information in photons, essentially using light — instead of radio waves — to send messages.

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David Ariosto

David Ariosto is a journalist, author, and the host and founder of the Space Watch Daily podcast. He has spent more than two decades covering emerging geopolitical issues, technological trends, and the forces between them, working across more than 50 countries. He is currently working on a Knopf-Doubleday book project focused on the gripping saga of the second great Space Race.