"NASA's Psyche Mission Activates Advanced Electric Propulsion"

NASA's Psyche mission has activated its electric Hall thrusters, propelling the spacecraft towards the metal-rich Psyche asteroid in the main asteroid belt. Launched in October 2023, Psyche is now in "full cruise" mode and has successfully tested laser-based deep space communications. Expected to reach the asteroid by 2029, the mission will study the object, believed to be the core of a planetesimal, for two years. Ion propulsion, used by Psyche, is efficient and durable, allowing the spacecraft to travel at high speeds with minimal fuel.