At left, xenon plasma emits a blue glow from an electric Hall thruster identical to those that will propel NASA’s Psyche spacecraft to the main asteroid belt. On the right is a similar non-operating thruster.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Futuristic electric thrusters emitting a cool blue glow will guide the Psyche spacecraft through deep space to a metal-rich asteroid.
When it comes time for NASA’s Psyche spacecraft to power itself through deep space, it’ll be more brain than brawn that does the work. Once the stuff of science fiction, the efficient and quiet power of electric propulsion will provide the force that propels the Psyche spacecraft all the way to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The orbiter’s target: a metal-rich asteroid also called Psyche.
The spacecraft will launch in August 2022 and travel about 1.5 billion miles (2.4 billion kilometers) over three and a half years to get to the asteroid, which scientists believe may be part of the core of a planetesimal, the building block of an early rocky planet. Once in orbit, the mission team will use the payload of science instruments to investigate what this unique target can reveal about the formation of rocky planets like Earth.
The spacecraft will rely on the large chemical rocket engines of the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle to blast off the launchpad and to escape Earth’s gravity. But the rest of the journey, once Psyche separates from the launch vehicle, will rely on solar electric propulsion. This form of propulsion starts with large solar arrays that convert sunlight into electricity, providing the power source for the spacecraft’s thrusters. They’re known as Hall thrusters, and the Psyche spacecraft will be the first to use them beyond the orbit of our Moon.
For propellant, Psyche will carry tanks full of xenon, the same neutral gas used in car headlights and plasma TVs. The spacecraft’s four thrusters will use electromagnetic fields to accelerate and expel charged atoms, or ions, of that xenon. As those ions are expelled, they create thrust that gently propels Psyche through space, emitting blue beams of ionized xenon.
In fact, the thrust is so gentle, it exerts about the same amount of pressure you’d feel holding three quarters in your hand. But it’s enough to accelerate Psyche through deep space. With no atmospheric drag to hold it back, the spacecraft eventually will accelerate to speeds of up to 200,000 miles per hour (320,000 kilometers per hour).
Because they’re so efficient, Psyche’s Hall thrusters could operate nearly nonstop for years without running out of fuel. Psyche will carry 2,030 pounds (922 kilograms) of xenon in its tanks; engineers estimate that the mission would burn through about five times that amount of propellant if it had to use traditional chemical thrusters.
“Even in the beginning, when we were first designing the mission in 2012, we were talking about solar electric propulsion as part of the plan. Without it, we wouldn’t have the Psyche mission,” said Arizona State University’s Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who as principal investigator leads the mission. “And it’s become part of the character of the mission. It takes a specialized team to calculate trajectories and orbits using solar electric propulsion.”
Original Article: Solar Electric Propulsion Makes NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Go
More from: Jet Propulsion Laboratory | NASA | Arizona State University
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Solar electric propulsion
- MBTA awards zero-emission bus order to New Flyeron May 2, 2024 at 8:42 am
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has awarded North American Bus and Coach (NFI) subsidiary New Flyer of America Inc. a contract for up to 460 next-generation Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ ...
- Solar Boat Market Unlocking Growth Exploring Future Market Size for New Opportunitieson May 1, 2024 at 10:41 pm
The global solar boat market revenue was around US$ 0.74 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach US$ 2.4 billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2% during the forecast ...
- Portal Space Systems comes out of stealth with satellites that’ll be fired up by the sunon April 30, 2024 at 6:24 am
Portal Space Systems is emerging from stealth with a plan to create a satellite platform that uses the sun's heat to spark its thrusters.
- Data From the Void: NASA Receives Laser Communications From 140+ Million Miles Awayon April 30, 2024 at 1:18 am
NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment also interfaced with the Psyche spacecraft’s communication system for the first time, transmitting engineering data to Earth. Riding aboard NASA’s ...
- NASA Unveils Game-Changing Electric Propulsion Technology for Future Space Missionson April 29, 2024 at 12:42 pm
NASA's innovative propulsion technology propels small spacecraft exploration and extends satellite lifetimes, supporting U.S. leadership in space technology. NASA has developed an advanced propulsion ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Solar electric propulsion
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar electric propulsion” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Psyche spacecraft
- Innovative Space Exploration: Psyche Mission’s Breakthrough Technology Experimentson April 30, 2024 at 2:47 pm
Nearly seven months have passed since the launch of the Psyche spacecraft, starting on a pioneering mission to explore an asteroid located over 257 million miles away from Earth. While its arrival at the asteroid is scheduled for 2028,
- NASA Reveals Incredible Results of Recent Spacecraft Testson April 30, 2024 at 8:45 am
These are the main points that recent studies have revealed. While traveling to its destination, scientists have been testing just how far their communications will travel. Currently, the Psyche spacecraft is approximately 140 million miles away from Earth, a distance 1.5 times farther away than the Sun is to Earth.
- NASA demonstrates space network speeds of up to 267 Mbps — Deep Space Optical Communications stretch beyond 140 million mileson April 29, 2024 at 12:25 pm
T he Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA has achieved network speeds of 267 Mbps past the distance between Earth and the sun with its new Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) system, which was launched on October 5,
- Video calls from Mars? Lasers make deep-space communication a realityon April 25, 2024 at 11:56 pm
This recent achievement involved successfully transmitting engineering data to Earth from a staggering distance of over 140 million miles.
- Psyche spacecraft sends data back to Earth using lasers for the first timeon April 25, 2024 at 12:55 pm
NASA's experimental laser communication system, riding along with the Psyche spacecraft, has transmitted Psyche data from over 140 million miles away.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Psyche spacecraft
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Psyche spacecraft” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]