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Psyche (Discovery 14) is a NASA space mission in flight to the asteroid, 16 Psyche, which it will orbit. It was launched in October 2023 to begin its 6-year flight to the asteroid, to be followed by 21 months of science investigation. Following its launch, the travel from Earth to the asteroid is to be by solar-powered ion engine, aided by a 2026 Mars gravity assist. Instruments:
16 Psyche is a large (average diameter of 223 km), massive asteroid of interest for study because it is thought to be a stripped protoplanet core, consisting of iron and nickel.