to launch

For the first time ever, we are
exploring a world made not of rock or ice,
but of metal.

Image of the psyche spacecraft. Shows the plus shaped panels attached to the

Mission to a
Metal World

Deep within the terrestrial planets, including Earth, scientists infer the presence of metallic cores, but these lie unreachably far below the planets’ rocky mantles and crusts. The asteroid Psyche offers a unique window into these building blocks of planet formation and the opportunity to investigate a previously unexplored type of world.

About Psyche Mission

This artist's conception shows the Psyche spacecraft against a starry background orbiting above the heavily cratered surface of the Psyche asteroid.

Designed to explore a metal asteroid that could be the heart of a planet, the Psyche mission is readying for a 2022 launch. After extensive review, NASA Headquarters in Washington has approved...

The ASU-led NASA Psyche Mission, a journey to a unique metal world, has been inspiring professional and amateur artists since the announcement of the mission’s selection by NASA in early 2017....

The NASA Psyche Mission is a journey to a unique metal world called Psyche, an asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. The mission is currently in development and the spacecraft will...

After completing an extensive NASA design review, humanity is one-step closer to exploring an all-metal world called 16 Psyche. As previously announced, Maxar’s Space Solutions team is working...

I was born with muscular dystrophy, a disease that gradually deteriorates my muscle in stages throughout my life. I thought that it would one day limit what I am able to do. This spurred an interest...

Students working with machinery and are experimenting.

While instruments and components of the spacecraft are under development across the country, the Psyche Mission management team, led by Arizona State University, is working with universities...

Where Are We Now?

A space mission typically has six phases, A-F. The Psyche Mission is currently in “Phase C,” which lasts until January 2021. In this phase, the mission is focused on final design and subsystem fabrication, assembly, and testing.

Experience the Timeline