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NASA’s Mission to Psyche

John Pisani
John Pisani
Space Coast Chronicler for Cosmic Perspective

Sailing the cosmic sea on a scientific voyage like no-other.

A Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. There is mangroves and a palm tree in the foreground. The rocket is just clearing the tower and the exhaust plume is expanding towards the camera.
The year is 1852, and you are an Italian astronomer named Annibale de Gasparis. One night, while conducting your observations of the cosmos, you make a significant discovery: an asteroid. Roughly 2 billion miles away in the main asteroid belt, situated between Mars and Jupiter, you decide to name this object after the Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche. Almost two centuries later, humanity has designed and launched a spacecraft to study it.
In these scenarios, I often wonder how future generations might perceive a serendipitous discovery born out of curiosity. Consider the juxtaposition of the 1800s when distant discoveries appeared impossible to reach, with today’s reality of space exploration. This contrast highlights the evolution of our capabilities and perspective on the cosmos.

The launch of Psyche has been a welcome sight to behold. While the continuous chain of Starlink launches from Florida’s Space Coast has been remarkable to witness, and while SpaceX has achieved many milestones doing so, it’s the interplanetary missions interspersed among human spaceflight missions that not only stand out but also proudly uphold NASA’s pillars of discovery and science. 

The journey to launch Psyche has been lengthy and filled with twists and turns, but they have successfully navigated it. As of this writing on October 31, 2023, things are progressing well for the spacecraft. So far, it has traveled nearly 9 million km (5.57 million miles) from Earth.

A Falcon heavy rocket ascends into the sky behind three columns of flames.

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

Falcon Heavy ascends away from Kennedy Space Center with the Psyche spacecraft safely inside its payload fairing.

 

Back in 2011, the Psyche mission concept was selected for further study. In 2019, after years of planning and design, its assembly began. Following a one-year delay, SpaceX mounted it atop their Falcon Heavy rocket and launched it into space on Friday, October 13, 2023, at 10:19:43 AM EDT, marking the start of a groundbreaking mission to explore a unique, metal-rich asteroid for the first time.
A static image of Falcon Heavy on the pad during remote camera setup. As seen from along Cape Rd.

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

Visiting Launch Complex 39A for remote camera placement. This photo was taken at a spot along Cape Rd.

 

On the ground at the Kennedy Space Center, John Pisani of Cosmic Perspective documented the launch of this mission. His remote cameras were meticulously placed in various areas around Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A) and at SpaceX’s landing zone to capture the return of the Falcon Heavy side-core boosters. Despite enduring several inches of rain, a tornado-warned thunderstorm, and a 24-hour delay, they eventually woke up to capture the moment the Psyche spacecraft leapt from the Earth.

When the sound of 27 Merlin 1D engines producing five million pounds of thrust resonated, their shutters fired, instantly capturing the initial moments of a roughly 2.2 billion-mile journey. The single Nikon DSLR at LZ-1, triggered by the sudden sonic booms, peered through a rain-soaked lens and managed to barely capture a pair of boosters landing.

Over the course of the delayed 24 hours, the sound-activated cameras continued to snap away as rain fell, tapping on the plastic coverings that protected the cameras from getting soaked. In total, over 7,000 photos were taken by my camera on the Crawlerway. Between all three cameras, almost 15,000 photos were captured. However, in this niche of photography, I consider myself lucky to even walk away with a single shot.​​ 

It is with great pleasure and appreciation to have an opportunity to cover these missions. With each passing one, incredible milestones in human history are achieved. Amazing things are happening at spaceports around the world. And here in Florida, I call them the Space Coast Chronicles.

A side-core booster is coming in to land at LZ-1. The lens is wet from rain.

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

 A side-core booster of Falcon Heavy comes in to land.

 

A wide shot of Falcon Heavy and Psyche lifting off. The countdown clock and American flag are in view, along with some other members of the media.

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

Liftoff from the Press Site!

 

A medium shot of Falcon heavy lifting off from 39A. The exposure of the image is darker to allow for flame details.

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

Medium engine shot from the Crawlerway.

 

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

Wide shot from Crawlerway during remote camera setup.

 

Credit: John Pisani for Cosmic Perspective

 

Close-crop of the landing burn shot.

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