Psyche asteroid mission moving forward; NASA to incorporate recommendations from review board

NASA said Friday that its Psyche asteroid mission is moving forward as previously announced, and the agency will incorporate recommendations from the independent review board to ensure the mission's success.

The mission, led by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, is set to launch in 2023 and will explore a metal-rich asteroid of the same name that lies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The mission leaders shared a response Friday to the results of the board convened to determine why the mission to study the metal-rich asteroid missed its planned 2022 launch opportunity.

"We welcome this opportunity to hear the independent review board's findings and have a chance to address the concerns," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Further, NASA anticipates delaying the launch of the VERITAS mission, the Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy, for at least three years. This would allow experienced staff at JPL to complete the development of strategic flagship missions further along in their development and would also free up additional resources to enable the continuation of Psyche, the agency said.

The VERITAS mission, with planned contributions from the Italian Space Agency, German Aerospace Center, and French Space Agency, was initially scheduled for launch in December 2027. The mission is now scheduled to launch no earlier than 2031.

This morning, @NASA and JPL leaders released the #MissionToPsyche Independent Review Board findings. This is a learning opportunity, and we commit to implementing the board's recommendations to ensure success on Psyche and future missions. Full report: https://t.co/l20M5dRRrY pic.twitter.com/6prIhgiTYm

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) November 4, 2022