Taking flight

Taking flight :

The #MissionToPsyche is on its way to a metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche.⁣

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The Psyche spacecraft launched aboard a @SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Friday, Oct. 13, at 10:19 a.m. EDT (14:19 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A @NASAKennedy in Florida. Psyche has acquired full communication, and initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in good health.⁣

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This is our first mission to a metal world. According to scientific analysis, the asteroid Psyche is likely a mixture of rock and metal. Scientists think Psyche could be part of an early planetesimal, and can unlock secrets of how planets form and evolve. Since we can’t bore a path to the Earth’s core (or that of other rocky planets), Psyche could provide us with a one-of-a-kind window into the origins of the Solar System.⁣

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So long Psyche, and good luck on your six year, 2.2-billion-mile journey. We can’t wait to see what you’ll discover.⁣

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Visual descriptions:⁣

1. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft aboard lifts off on a cloudy day from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket and launchpad are seen from a distance and reflected in the water below. In the foreground near the top center a bird in flight crosses the frame. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani⁣

2. On a gray, cloudy day a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft aboard, seen at right of frame, clears the launchpad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Plumes of exhaust billow from the rocket and are reflected in the water at bottom of frame. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani⁣

3. In a time-lapse image taken from a distance, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft aboard is seen streaking toward a cloudy sky from the launchpad. The streak of light is reflected in the water below. Credit: NASA/Cory Huston⁣

4. Against a brilliant sunset with orange skies and purple-hued clouds, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft atop is seen in a close shot while vertical at Launch Complex 39A. Lights surrounding the pad illuminate the rocket and spacecraft.