![]() Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Nearly a twin in size to Neptune, Uranus has more methane in its mainly hydrogen and helium atmosphere than Jupiter or Saturn. A collision with an Earth-sized object may explain the unique tilt. JPL also is providing a technology demonstration instrument called Deep Space Optical Communications that will fly on Psyche in order to test high-data-rate laser communications that could be used by future NASA missions. Voyager Mission Uranus: The Basics Uranus is the only giant planet whose equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit. Bright Storms on Uranus Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley)/Keck Observatory New photos of the planet. ![]() Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. See amazing photos of Uranus for spacecraft and telescopes on Earth in this gallery. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. For all of us, we’ll be excited to launch this bird.” More About the MissionĪrizona State University leads the Psyche mission. “We are moving forward,” he said, “and we’re confident that when we’re on the pad, we’ll be ready to hit the button. ![]() Luis Dominguez, the systems and electrical lead for assembly, test, and launch operations, is usually based at JPL but has been working full time at the Cape since early June. Then, in mid-August, a crew will begin slowly loading all 2,392 pounds (1,085 kilograms) of propellant – the neutral gas xenon – onto the spacecraft over the course of a couple weeks. The Webb Space Telescope has taken a stunning image of the planet Uranus, featuring dramatic rings as well as bright features in the planet’s atmosphere. Later in July, they will integrate and test the deployment of the enormous solar arrays. The team recently finished several weeks of functional testing of the science instruments as well as the spacecraft hardware and software.Īfter removing the last of the cables that snake around the hardware for testing, they’ll “close out” the spacecraft by reinstalling some exterior panels that had been removed for access and complete the thermal blanketing. Next Stepsīut first, a team of 30 or so engineers and technicians will wrap up the assembly, test, and launch operations phase of the mission. Once the spacecraft reaches Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, it will spend at least 26 months orbiting the asteroid, gathering images and other data that will tell scientists more about its history and what it is made of. Measuring about 173 miles (279 kilometers) at its widest point, the asteroid Psyche presents a unique opportunity to explore a metal-rich body that may be part of a core of a planetesimal, the building block of an early planet. This zoomed-in image of Uranus, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera ( NIRCam) on 6 February 2023, reveals stunning views of the planet’s rings. ![]()
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