SpaceX and NASA are gearing up to launch Psyche, NASA’s latest asteroid-focused spacecraft. The new spacecraft is named after the asteroid Psyche, and it will travel 2.2 billion miles to reach the rare, metal-rich asteroid, which lies beyond the orbit of Mars. You can watch the launch live this week as it happens.
NASA previously shared details for the upcoming launch of Psyche, sharing a large launch window from October 5 to October 25. However, the space agency and SpaceX – which has provided the rocket that will carry Psyche into space – set Thursday, October 12 as the official launch date. Unfortunately, a delay has seen that launch pushed back to October 13.
The delay occurred because of unfavorable weather conditions around NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which only predicted a 20 percent chance of favorable weather conditions on that day. Now, SpaceX says it will target a launch at 10:19 a.m. ET on Friday, October 13.
Those interested in watching the launch live will be able to watch Psyche’s liftoff from Earth from the observation area at Kennedy Space Center, or through NASA’s live stream, which is called NASA TV. The NASA spacecraft will originally lift off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, one of SpaceX’s largest rockets.
NASA will broadcast the launch on its YouTube channel, in the NASA app, and on its website, so there are plenty of ways to watch it happen. You can also use the embedded video above, which includes NASA’s 24/7 livestream. Live coverage of the event will likely begin around 9:00 or 9:15 a.m. ET on the live stream, so tune in early for any additional information.
Psyche is a historic mission, and millions around the world will be watching it launch and begin its journey to the metal-rich asteroid, which NASA hopes will teach us even more about the universe and how it formed over the past several billion years.
