After postponing from its original launch date due to bad weather, the conditions are now looking favorable for NASA to launch its Psyche mission today.
The inital plan had been to launch the mission yesterday, Thursday October 12, but poor weather conditions at the launch site Kennedy Space Center launch site in Florida forced the launch to be rescheduled. Now, the plan is to launch today, Friday October 13, at 10:19 a.m. ET.
The U.S. Space Force, which provides weather predictions for NASA launches, has predicted as 85% chance of favorable weather at the launch site today. The launch will use a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to carry the Psyche spacecraft out of Earth’s atmosphere and into space, where it will begin its six-year journey to visit a metal asteroid also named Psyche.
Recommended Videos Fueling of the rocket begins this morning ahead of the launch time. According to NASA, this is the first time that a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket has been used to launch a primary science mission under NASA’s Launch Services Program. The rocket was only certified for NASA use at the beginning of this year, after a review process of more than two years.
Related The aim of the mission is to investigate an unusual asteroid, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which seems to be made of an unusually high proportion of metal. Most asteroids are primarily rock with a small amount of metal, but this one is thought to be almost entirely composed of iron and nickel.
You can watch the launch live as it happens by heading to NASA’s YouTube page for the event, with coverage beginning shortly at 9:15 a.m. ET . Alternatively, the stream will also be available on Twitch, Daily Motion, and the NASA app.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA’s Psyche “Go” for Launch, but Weather Has Other PlansScience, Space and Technology News 2023
Read more »
Rocket Weather Roulette: 40% Favorable Skies for NASA’s Psyche LaunchScience, Space and Technology News 2023
Read more »
Journey to a Metal-Rich World: NASA’s Psyche Is Ready to Launch - NASAThe spacecraft is targeting an Oct. 12 liftoff atop a Falcon Heavy rocket. Its destination, a metal-rich asteroid, may tell us more about how planets form.
Read more »
Watch SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch NASA's Psyche asteroid mission todayMichael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
Read more »
Watch live: NASA launches Psyche missionNASA is launching a new 6-year mission today to explore the Psyche asteroid that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter in the solar system's main asteroid belt.
Read more »