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In a major milestone for NASA, Earth was able to receive a mysterious signal from deep space with the help of its spacecraft 'Psyche'
By successfully transmitting engineering data from over 140 million miles away, which is 1.5 times the distance between Earth and the sun, Psyche marks a significant step forward in the quest for faster communication between spacecraft and Earth
NASA said its Deep Space Optical Communications experiment also interfaced with the 'Psyche' spacecraft’s communication system for the first time, transmitting engineering data to Earth.
In October 2023, NASA sent towards an asteroid a spacecraft named 'Psyche 16', believed to be primarily composed of metal, which happens rarely in our solar system
The asteroid is said to be located in the asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter. As per NASA, what makes the asteroid Psyche unique is that it appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, one of the building blocks of our solar system
The Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, NASA says
Psyche is equipped with the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) system, which aims to make laser communication possible across massive distances in space, opening possibilities much faster connections than current methods.
The mission is led by Arizona State University. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for mission management, operations and navigation