2023-12-07 16:53:00
NASA’s Psyche mission, the first US mission to study a metal-rich asteroid, has returned the first images of a distant star field, the organization revealed on Tuesday.
The mission, which launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 13, has already made significant progress in its journey to the metal-rich asteroid. On Monday, December 4, the Psyche spacecraft’s twin cameras turned on and recorded the first set of images, dubbed “First Light,” within the star field in the constellation Pisces.
The recording device, which consists of a pair of identical cameras, captured a total of 68 images. The mission team is currently using the recorded images to verify the order, perform telemetry analysis, and calibrate imaging measurement results.
According to NASA, it has been eight weeks since the Psyche spacecraft left Earth and it has already completed several successful missions. The spacecraft’s scientific tools have been activated, sending data signals back to Earth. Additionally, the spacecraft has set a record in deep space using an electric propulsion device.
The Psyche spacecraft is expected to travel 3.5 billion kilometers to the metal-rich asteroid, which is located on the far side of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The successful return of the first images marks an important milestone in NASA’s Psyche mission, as it continues to push the boundaries of space exploration.]
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