Floor it!
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has fired up its thrusters and is accelerating to the metal-rich asteroid of the same name. Learn more about Psyche’s solar-powered propulsion system, which uses electromagnetic fields to steadily deliver thrust: go.nasa.gov/4jAR2bY
ALT Photo of a Hall thruster identical to those on NASA’s Psyche operating in a vacuum chamber at JPL during tests. A ring of blue light emits a hazy stream of glowing material. The blue light is generated by xenon ions being accelerated through an electromagnetic field, which gives the spacecraft a gentle but steady acceleration. NASA/JPL-Caltech
