Psyche accelerates toward a metal-rich asteroid with solar-powered electric engines

By Erick León

La Paz, Baja California Sur, October 25, 2026.— NASA’s Psyche spacecraft increased its use of electric engines after using Mars’s gravity to adjust its trajectory. The agency’s October 22 update says the mission remains on track to reach the metal-rich asteroid Psyche in summer 2029.

Since September 28, the spacecraft has used its propulsion system for much of the time, pausing for communications and engineering maneuvers. Navigation officials estimate that the thrusters will operate for about 90% of the available time as the journey toward the asteroid belt continues.

The system uses power from solar panels and accelerates xenon ions with electromagnetic fields. Each thrust produces a small force, but sustained operation over long periods gradually increases speed while using propellant efficiently.

The spacecraft launched in October 2023 and flew past Mars in May 2026. Its destination is an asteroid that may retain material associated with the interiors of ancient planetary bodies. That hypothesis still needs to be tested through direct observations.

At its destination, the mission will map the object, study its composition and gather information to help explain the early formation of rocky planets such as Earth. NASA has not announced that Psyche has reached the asteroid.

Primary source: NASA, October 22, 2026.

English translation of the original article, published October 25, 2026.

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