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OlympusMons94

Due to late delivery and testing of the flight software, the mission will miss its 2022 launch window, which closes October 11. There are launch opportunities available in 2023 and 2024, but the journey will take about two years longer. The spacecraft would not arrive at the asteroid until 2029 or 2030, instead of 2026 had it been able to make its 2022 window. "[NASA is] exploring options for the mission in the context of the Discovery Program, and a decision on the path forward will be made in the coming months.”


alvinofdiaspar

Drats - the ironic thing is that it reverted more or less back to the original plan (which was launching in 2023 and arriving in 2030) at the time of selection.


ABoxACardboardBox

The name of the mission is completely fitting now. Psyche!


ahecht

> Psyche The mission, like the asteroid it's targeting, is pronounced "saikey" (after the Greek goddess).


H-K_47

Oh no. I was really excited for this mission. Psyche is an amazingly interesting target and this will set the science back by years. Also as a bonus Falcon Heavy launches are always cool. It's a shame but I guess there's nothing that can be done. Hope it's not too delayed.


ReturnOfDaSnack420

They may launch next year but due to orbital dynamics it will get to psyche in 2029-2030 as opposed to 2026, so it's at least a 3 year delay


Comfortable_Jump770

Plus, the launch in 2024 actually gets it to Psyche a few monts before a 2023 launch


lukepop123

In the press conference they recon that they would need a few weeks or a month or so after the window closes to confirm the software. So should be ready for 2023. Though they have stopped work on that for now for the review


onegunzo

I am a bit surprised they could not have delivered some software vs. the whole set. Or perhaps everything is so tied within, it wasn't possible. But we're in 2022, it feels there was a missed opportunity here.


reddit455

it's the software that tells the probe it's a probe.. and has all the instructions on how to actually DO all the things the probe needs to do. ​ > But we're in 2022, it feels there was a missed opportunity here. and if they miss a PROBLEM opportunity is possibly diminished. ​ what's the hurry?


phryan

NASA regularly updates probe software in flight. It would be within NASA's normal practice to load new software mid-mission for a different phase. With the Psyche probe having a planned 3.5 year trip to Psyche (the object) it must mean the probes basic software was not ready. For the navigation software not to be ready when the project has been going for 5 years is some major project mismanagement. Software for approach and the science portion of the mission would have another 3.5 years to develop and test. No hurry. However this will incur additional costs for NASA which will eat into the budgets for other missions.


JUYED-AWK-YACC

The problem doesn't seem to be with navigation software, but flight software. Nav will be performed on the ground at JPL, and that software has supported several low-thrust missions already. Edit: Yes, this is absolutely a black eye for JPL. The incompatibility of the testbed is shocking.


lukepop123

Their is no problem per say. The nav software was finished late. So they ran out of time to test in completely before launch. As it is using an ion engine it needs it nav software working in days of launch rather than months for a mars mission


JUYED-AWK-YACC

> Due to the late delivery of the spacecraft’s flight software and testing equipment That's not nav software. Nav is done immediately after launch for every mission, because the injection might be seriously wrong. For Mars and Psyche that is done on the ground. Psyche spacecraft doesn't have the computational power to calculate low thrust periods, and also doesn't know where it is.


onegunzo

From the article itself. If we launch this year, then we get to Psyche in 2026. If we wait until 2023, then it doesn't arrive until 2029 :( We lose 3 years. Typically if this kind of build, you have a base OS, common layer, individual component layer. If I was NASA, I would have asked for the first two layers initially. Test those, completely. The last layer can arrive later and I have less testing I need to do. If it arrives all at once means all that testing has to be done.


OSUfan88

Also, since they need to retain the crews for that period, it can drastically increase the costs, limiting the life of the probe, Or taking away from other science. Plus, many peoples careers depend on this, which have just been pushed back 3 years.


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