Asteroid probe Psyche activates novel ion drive for cruise mode
The thrust provided by the novel solar drive of the Psyche asteroid probe is not powerful. However, it can now remain activated for months.
Inclusion of an ion drive like that of Psyche
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Seven months after its launch, NASA's Psyche asteroid probe has activated its futuristic solar propulsion system, which should accelerate it from around 135,000 km/h – relative to Earth – to around 200,000 km/h over the next year and a half. The US space agency has now announced this and added that all previous checks of the probe had yielded positive results. This is why it has now been possible to start "full cruise mode", with which the probe will first set course for Mars, where it will pick up speed again on its way to the asteroid belt. Although the thrust provided by the new propulsion system is only slight – it is therefore as weak as the pressure of three small coins on your hand - it can be maintained almost continuously.
Much less fuel required
While conventional space probes have so far been propelled by chemical reactions between liquid fuels, Psyche converts solar energy into electricity with the help of two huge solar panels, which ionize xenon gas stored in tanks. The 922 kg of stored gas, which is also used in some car headlights, is then used to power four ion thrusters that gently push the spacecraft towards the asteroid. If the probe were to rely on a classic chemical propulsion system, 15 times as much fuel would be required for the same route, NASA has explained. Stowage space that is not needed for fuel is available for scientific payloads, for example. Propulsion systems like Psyche's could therefore revolutionize space travel.
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Psyche was launched on October 13 towards the metal-rich asteroid after which it was named. Of the one and a half million asteroids in the asteroid belt, only around nine are predominantly metallic – Psyche is the largest of them. This is why it is of particular interest to researchers. It is currently assumed that the celestial body is the remaining core of a former planet. The analysis therefore promises unique findings. In addition to the new type of propulsion, the probe also has laser communication technology that allows much more data to be sent to Earth much faster than with previous probes. The last time this worked was over a distance of more than 226 million kilometers.
(mho)
