NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, embarked on a far-reaching journey, successfully fired a laser signal at Earth from over 16 million kilometers away in space. The launch took place on October 13th, 2023, orchestrated from the Kennedy Space Center by the powerful SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
Understanding NASA’s Psyche Mission
The Psyche mission is an ambitious endeavor that aims to explore the metallic asteroid Psyche, nestled between Mars and Jupiter. This exceptional celestial body is believed to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet. By offering a hands-on study opportunity of a planetary core, this mission is set to yield invaluable information about the formation of terrestrial planets like our own.
Key Objectives of the Mission
The Psyche mission has set several objectives in its pursuit to explore the asteroid. It seeks to ascertain if Psyche is a core or unmelted material. Concurrently, it will assess the relative ages of different regions on the asteroid’s surface. In comparison to Earth’s core, the mission is poised to draw parallels regarding the elemental composition of Psyche. The formation conditions of Psyche will also be reassessed to determine if they were more oxidizing or reducing than Earth’s core. Furthermore, Psyche’s surface features will be studied for topography characterization.
The Instruments
The mission will leverage various scientific instruments, including a Multispectral Imager for capturing images across different wavelengths, a Gamma Ray & Neutron Spectrometer to analyze elemental composition, and a Magnetometer for measuring magnetic fields. If Psyche holds a remanent magnetic field, it would strongly suggest that the asteroid originated from a planet’s core. Other tools include an X-band Gravity Science Investigation for studying the gravitational effects of the Asteroid on the spacecraft and a Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) for testing laser-based communication technology.
Deep Space Optical Communications: A Game Changer
Psyche is deployed with NASA’s trailblazing Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) transceiver, making it the first of its kind. DSOC revolutionizes space communication by encoding data in near-infrared light photons rather than traditional radio waves. It promises data rates at least ten times higher than current systems, paving the way for enhanced imaging, extensive scientific data transmission, and potential video streaming. However, despite their advantages, near-infrared waves fall short in penetration and distance capabilities compared to radio waves, which boast the longest wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum. The pursuit for faster data transmission has led us to this advanced technology.
Potential UPSC Questions
Here’s an example of a question related to this topic that appeared in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2011: “Satellites used for telecommunication relay are kept in a geostationary orbit. A satellite is said to be in such an orbit when: The orbit is geosynchronous, circular, lies in the plane of the Earth’s equator, and is at an altitude of 22,236 km. Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4. The correct answer is (a).”