New mission to metal-rich asteroid Psyche has scientists 'psyched'

The Psyche mission — named after the asteroid it's planning to study — is set to blast off this week from Cape Canaveral, Fla., where it will begin a six-year journey to its home in the asteroid belt.

New mission to metal-rich asteroid Psyche has scientists 'psyched'
An illustration shows a spacecraft approaching the rocky, and metallic asteroid, Psyche.

The Psyche mission — named after the asteroid it's planning to study — is set to blast off this week from Cape Canaveral, Fla., where it will begin a six-year journey to its home in the asteroid belt.