In response, JPL made a number of changes to get the Psyche mission ready for launch, including reorganizing its workforce, updating a hybrid work policy to have the team spend more time together, and adding experienced team members to the mix. The Covid-19 pandemic contributed to the delay, according to the report, but the board also determined that staffing, management oversight and communication caused impediments. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State Univ./Space Systems Loral/Peter Rubin I’m very pleased to report it’s green across the board and on track for our October launch.”Īn artist's illustration depicts the Psyche spacecraft in deep space, showcasing its five-panel solar arrays. “Our team is heading to Florida to begin the final testing of the spacecraft in preparation for launch.
Nasa space discovery software#
“The project is very nearly through all the key software testing that was the main challenge at the time of the delay, and that has gone well and the team is on track within margin,” Leshin said.
That software also provides the spacecraft’s propulsion system with trajectory information. The guidance and navigation software help to control the spacecraft’s orientation as it flies through space and point its antenna toward Earth for communications and relaying data. “Our goals went beyond getting Psyche to the launch pad to improving JPL across the board as we work on missions that will help us better understand Earth, explore the solar system and the universe, and search for signs of life.”Įngineers wanted to be absolutely certain that the software would function as expected once the spacecraft takes flight. The results are gratifying,” said JPL Director Laurie Leshin in a statement. “We convened this board weeks after I stepped in as director and addressing the issues it raised has been a central focus in my first year as director of JPL. The analysis included ways to address issues with the mission as well as “JPL institutional issues” that caused the delay. The review board, which convened last summer when delays became evident in June 2022, provided a report with recommendations to NASA in November.
Nasa space discovery full#
The issue was corrected, but there wasn’t enough time for a full checkout and launch in 2022.Īn independent review board has found that steps taken by NASA and the California Institute of Technology to get the delayed mission back on track, including work on the mission as well as institutional steps, have been “outstanding,” according to the announcement. But the launch window opened on August 1 and closed October 11 before the spacecraft’s flight software was ready.ĭuring testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, engineers discovered a compatibility issue in the software’s test bed simulators. The endeavor, known as the Psyche mission, was originally expected to lift off in 2022. The first NASA spacecraft designed to study a metallic asteroid is now set to launch in October, according to a Monday announcement made by the agency.
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