NASA did not postpone its mission, US space agency said it will be launched in October 2023

NASA Mission 2023: The US space agency has announced that it will launch its delayed Psyche mission in October 2023 with the aim of investigating an asteroid of the same name. NASA selected Manas in 2017 to investigate the metal-rich asteroid of the same name. It is part of the agency's Discovery Program, a line of low-cost, competitive missions led by a single principal investigator.

Earlier this year, Psyche missed its planned launch period of 2022 as a result of mission development problems, prompting an internal review of whether the mission would be able to address these issues to launch successfully in 2023.

"The lessons learned from Psyche will be applied throughout our mission portfolio," said Thomas Zuburchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. I am excited about the science insights Psyche will provide during its lifetime and promises to contribute to our understanding of the core of our own planet.'

Flight software testing

The mission team continues to complete testing of the spacecraft's flight software in preparation for a launch date of 2023. The new flight profile is similar to that originally planned for August 2022, using Mars assistance in 2026 to send the spacecraft on its way to the asteroid Psyche.

The spacecraft will reach the asteroid in August 2029

With a launch date of October 2023, the Psyche spacecraft will reach the asteroid in August 2029, NASA said in a statement late Friday. JPL director Laurie Leshin said, "I am confident of the plan going forward and excited by the unique and important science this mission will return."