NASA’S NEW ASTEROID MISSIONS

Two new Solar System missions have been selected for development by NASA, both of which will investigate questions surrounding the origin of the planets. The Psyche mission will fly to a metallic asteroid of the same name which is believed to be the remnant of a destroyed planet’s iron core. The mission aims to launch in 2023, reaching 16 Psyche in 2030. Another mission, Lucy, will undertake a 12-year tour of six of the Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit and is slated for launch in 2021.