Produced by: Manoj Kumar
In April 2025, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft suddenly lost fuel pressure, causing its electric propulsion system to shut down mid-journey to a $10,000 quadrillion metal-rich asteroid.
Launched in 2023, Psyche is en route to one of the largest metallic asteroids ever discovered—believed to be the exposed core of a failed planet hiding secrets of planetary birth.
The fuel pressure dropped from 36 to 26 psi, triggering an automatic shutdown. Now engineers must act fast to restore thrust before trajectory deviation begins in mid-June.
Fortunately, Psyche’s twin fuel-line system was built with setbacks in mind. NASA is considering a switch to the backup line, showing how mission redundancy pays off under pressure.
Psyche uses solar electric propulsion—gentle but efficient. It produces just enough thrust to move through 309 million miles of space, slowly shaping its path over years.
Scientists believe Psyche may be the nickel-iron core of an ancient protoplanet. Studying it could reveal how Earth’s core formed—and how planets grow from chaos to complexity.
NASA isn’t panicking. The mission was built with margin, allowing thrusting to pause until at least June before affecting its course. It’s a race, but one with room to breathe.
Louise Prockter of NASA’s Planetary Science Division says these glitches are normal. Redundant systems and experienced teams are what keep high-stakes missions like Psyche on track.
Psyche’s metallic surface may be billions of years old and untouched by erosion. Once Psyche arrives in 2029, it could unlock secrets never before observed in planetary science.