The Psyche spacecraft was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on October 13, 2023. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the metal-rich asteroid Psyche in 2029 and will make observations from orbit for about two years. Scientists believe that the asteroid may be the partial core of a planetesimal, the building block of an early planet. After leaving our atmosphere, Psyche made the most of its rocket boost and coasted beyond the orbit of Mars. NASA has now fired the spacecraft’s futuristic-looking electric thrusters and for the next year, the spacecraft will be in what mission planners call “full cruise” mode, as its electric thrusters take over and propel the orbiter toward the asteroid belt. The thrusters work by expelling charged atoms, or ions, of xenon and emit a brilliant blue glow that trails behind the spacecraft, The orbiter is now more than 190 million miles (300 million kilometers) away and moving at a clip of 23 miles per second (37 kilometers per second) relative to Earth. That’s about 84,000 mph (135,000 kph). Over time, with no atmospheric drag to slow it down, the ion propulsion thrusters will accelerate Psyche to speeds of up to 124,000 mph (200,000 kph).