Hyperdrive

NASA Probe Bound for Asteroid Launches on SpaceX Rocket

NASA’s first use of Falcon Heavy in key interplanetary mission
Spacecraft should arrive at Psyche asteroid in July 2029

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is rolled out at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 10.Photographer: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA

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By Loren Grush

October 13, 2023 at 9:30 AM UTC

Updated on

October 13, 2023 at 3:30 PM UTC

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NASA’s massive Psyche spacecraft launched Friday atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket on an unprecedented journey to probe a metal-rich asteroid for insight into Earth’s own rocky core.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, one of the world’s most powerful operational rockets, lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 10:19 a.m. local time. Its launch marked the first time NASA has used the Falcon Heavy to launch a major interplanetary science mission. The Falcon Heavy’s side boosters successfully landed on SpaceX’s ground landing pads after launch.