API VERSION: 1.2 API SOURCE: NASA/JPL Horizons API ******************************************************************************* Revised: Sep 01, 2026 Psyche Spacecraft / Sun -255 https://www.nasa.gov/psyche https://psyche.asu.edu/ BACKGROUND: Psyche is a NASA Discovery-class mission to map the surface and characterize the composition of '16 Psyche', an elongated 280-km diameter metal-rich asteroid located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This is the first mission to a metal-rich asteroid. Psyche was launched Oct 13, 2023 @ 14:19:43 UTC on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A. Stage separation occurred 62 minutes after launch at 15:21 UTC. A gravity-assist flyby of Mars will nominally occur May 15, 2026 @ 19:28:03 UTC at an altitude 4618 km above the surface (8008.4 km from Mars center), over 252.368 W, 41.032 N The asteroid's gravity will capture the spacecraft into orbit in late July 2029 and the two-year prime mission will begin in August. Psyche will successively lower its orbit over the span of a year, eventually coming as close as 75-km from the asteroid's surface. Staging orbits around 16 Psyche: Orbit A: Characterization first ~46 days, 41 orbits (700 km alt., period 32.8 h, 90 deg. inclination) Orbit B (B1,B2): Topography & magnetic field B1: 92 days (190 orbits) (303 km, 11.6 h, 90 deg.) B2: 100 days (206 orbits) (303 km, 11.6 h, 90 deg.) Orbit C: Gravity science & magnetic field 100 days (333 orbits) (190 km, 7.2 h, 90 deg.) Orbit D: Elemental mapping 100 days (666 orbits) ( 75 km, 3.6 h, 160 deg.) SPACECRAFT PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Dimensions (w/solar panels extended): 24.76 m long, 7.34 m wide Bus dimensions: 3.1 m x 2.4 m Thrusters: solar-electric ion (Xenon) propulsion, Four SPT-140 Hall thrusters (900 W operation, 4.5 kW capacity) Solar panels: 20 kW at Earth, 2.3 kW at 16 Psyche Science payload: 30 kg SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS: - Psyche Multispectral Imager (2) optical navigation, geologic, compositional, and topographic data - Psyche Gamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer (boom mounted) detect, measure, and map Psyche's elemental composition - Psyche Magnetometer (boom mounted) detect and measure magnetic field - X-band Radio Science (2-m antenna system) measure Psyche's gravity field to high precision. - Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) test new laser communication technology for higher data rates than radio receiver is at Palomar Observatory transmitter is at JPL Table Mountain TRAJECTORY: For trajectories of (or relative to) the official flight-project target trajectory, set target as "2000016" or observing site as @2000016. To instead use the latest JPL asteroid solution, request target using a semi-colon: "16;" or "DES= 2000016;" or "Psyche;" or "DES= A852 FA;" Post-launch spacecraft trajectory from JPL navigation. Data through August 11, prediction thereafter. Name Start (TDB) Stop (TDB) ------------------------------------------------ ----------------- ----------- psyche_rec_231013-231018_v1 2023-Oct-13 15:21 2023-Oct-16 psyche_rec_231016-231210_231220_v1 2023-Oct-16 11:59 2023-Dec-07 psyche_rec_231207-240304_240321_v1 2023-Dec-07 02:58 2024-Mar-01 psyche_rec_240301-240514_240530_v1 2024-Mar-01 00:00 2024-May-12 psyche_rec_240512-240806_240826_v1 2024-May-12 13:00 2024-Aug-06 psyche_rec_240805-241203_241210_v1 2024-Aug-05 16:45 2024-Nov-25 psyche_rec_241125-250225_250319_v2 2024-Nov-25 15:58 2025-Feb-25 psyche_rec_250225-250617_250624_v1 2025-Feb-25 00:00 2025-Jun-16 psyche_rec_250616-250812_250909_v1 2025-Jun-16 19:00 2025-Aug-12 psyche_rec_250812-251006_251119_v1 2025-Aug-12 05:59 2025-Oct-05 psyche_rec_251005-260223_260309_v1 2025-Oct-05 00:00 2026-Feb-23 psyche_rec_260223-260502_260601_v1 2025-Feb-23 20:30 2026-May-01 psyche_rec_260501-260713_260804_v1 2026-May-01 23:59 2026-Jul-13 psyche_sc-eph_260517-261201_260811_v1 2026-Jul-13 22:40 2026-Nov-01 psyche_ref_260904-290211_260805_v1 2026-Nov-01 12:00 2029-Feb-11 *******************************************************************************