The Psyche spacecraft has successfully resumed full operation of its thrusters. This was reported in a statement published on the NASA website.
The Psyche mission was launched in 2023. Its target is Psyche, a 220-kilometer-wide metal asteroid that, according to one hypothesis, may be a fragment of the core of a destroyed protoplanet. During its journey, the spacecraft uses four Hall-effect electric rocket thrusters. The principle of their operation is as follows. The energy collected by Psyche’s solar panels is used to ionize atoms of the working fluid (xenon), which is then ejected, creating thrust.
In early April, mission specialists had to shut down Psyche’s thrusters due to an unexpected drop in pressure in the fuel line. In accordance with the program, the vehicle automatically shut down its thrusters.
During the subsequent investigation, mission specialists determined that the pressure drop was caused by a mechanical malfunction of the valve used to control fuel flow. One of the valve components failed, preventing xenon from entering the thrusters. Therefore, engineers switched Psyche to a backup fuel line and then restarted the thrusters. The operation was successful. On June 16, Psyche’s thrusters resumed full operation.
Psyche’s thrusters will remain on until November. This maneuver will put the spacecraft on a trajectory that will take it past Mars in May 2026. The spacecraft will use the Red Planet’s gravity to accelerate. It is scheduled to arrive at Psyche in August 2029.
According to NASA
