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Ephemeris: 10/02/2023 – This week: Launch to Psyche

October 2, 2023 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Monday, October 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 7:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:42. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 9:00 this evening.

This Thursday, October 5th at 10:38 AM will be the first opportunity to launch a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft to the asteroid 16 Psyche. It’ll be a nearly 5 1/2 year trip to this asteroid, which is metal rich, and quite unlike any asteroid that we’ve ever studied before with a spacecraft. There is a 20 day launch window starting October 5th with lunch possibilities during the 10 o’clock hour each day. Due to the design of SpaceX Falcon rockets there is only one time a day they can launch, due to the fact that they super chill their fuel and oxidizer to make them more dense to squeeze the most fuel and oxidizer into the rocket. They need to load them immediately prior to launch. Any hold in the countdown will allow them to expand and in the case of the liquid oxygen, to boil off.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Falcon Heavy launch
Falcon Heavy leaves the pad. Credit SpaceX.
The Psyche spacecraft orbits to Psyche the asteroid
The Psyche spacecraft orbits to Psyche the asteroid. Also on this mission NASA is going to test optical communications or laser communications with the satellite at interplanetary distances. This has been done in low earth orbit, and between the Earth and the Moon, but has never been tried at interplanetary distances. Credit: NASA/JPL.
Psyche the spacecraft orbiting Psyche the asteroid
Psyche the spacecraft orbiting Psyche the asteroid. Credit: NASA/JPL.
Categories: Asteroid, Ephemeris Program, NASA, Planetary exploration Tags: ,