NASA’s Psyche interplanetary station transmitted the first images from cameras to Earth. Calibration and testing showed that the multispectral cameras (two identical ones in the device) were operating within normal limits and were ready for duty. Checking other systems also revealed no questions. The device will begin fully equipped scientific studies in 2029.

The Psyche station was launched into space on October 13, 2023. The aim of the mission is to reach the asteroid of the same name, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It will take place in 2029. Asteroid Psyche is believed to be the core of an unformed planet that has remained unchanged since the birth of the Solar System. Examining such an object can provide insight into the structure of the earth’s core, which we cannot reach even though it is under our feet.

Psyche station has been on the road for about eight weeks. First light (the first images from a pair of cameras) was captured on December 4. Cameras took pictures of the star field in Pisces. Images are passed through a series of light filters as the station’s twin cameras are multispectral, which will help better identify minerals and metals on the asteroid’s surface. The entire system required testing and calibration, and the NASA engineering team successfully accomplished this. A total of 68 photographs were taken. Thanks to a pair of identical cameras, it will be possible to create the most accurate 3D map of the asteroid surface.

The cameras will be turned on again during the Mars flight. It will take place in 2026. The station’s scientific instruments will collect other information in addition to taking images. For example, it was possible to fully test an ultrasensitive magnetometer only in space. On Earth, it gave an error due to the planet’s magnetic field, but it was possible to test it precisely in open space at a distance of more than 10 million km. By the way, the station itself and its electronic devices do not affect the readings of the magnetometer, as the engineers were convinced; This is apparently important for future measurements of the metallic asteroid’s parameters.

A magnetometer on the station will monitor space weather all the way through. It can capture the Sun’s coronal mass ejections and has done so repeatedly since it was turned on. This will enrich our knowledge of solar plasma far beyond Earth’s orbit.

Other achievements of the station include the launch of two of its four main ion engines on November 8. This is the first use of Hall effect rocket engines in deep space. So far they have only been used on spacecraft entering lunar orbit. Super-efficient engines that eject xenon gas ions will carry the spacecraft to the asteroid (a distance of 3.6 billion km) and help it maneuver in its orbit.

On November 14, the station conducted its first communication session from relatively distant space, approximately 16 million km away, via a laser channel. The Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) facility was operating, sending a data packet to Earth and receiving a return transmission. This was the longest optical communications demonstration in history. Finally, the Psyche team successfully incorporated a gamma-ray sensor into a third science instrument, the Gamma and Neutron Spectrometer. Then, around December 11, the device’s neutron sensors will be turned on. All of these possibilities will help the team identify chemical elements, including the material of the asteroid’s surface.