NASA Psyche spacecraft switches to backup fuel system after valve failure

NASA’s psychological spacecraft has successfully switched to its backup fuel line after engineers determined that mechanical valve failure threatened the mission to a metal-rich asteroid journey. Now 628 million miles from Earth, the spacecraft has dropped significantly on its xenon propulsion system, forcing the mission controller to shut down electric thrusters for nearly two months.

The trouble began on April 1, when the sensors detected pressure dropping from 36 pounds per square inch to 26 psi in the fuel line, feeding Xenon gas into the spacecraft’s four electric thrusters. This 28% pressure loss triggers an automatic safety protocol that reduces power to the propulsion system, allowing the spacecraft to operate along space through space only when it is momentum.

A carefully inspected xenon propulsion system

Psychological tasks rely on solar propulsion, a technology that converts sunlight into electrical power propellers to discharge charged Xenon atoms. Unlike traditional chemical rockets that provide huge thrust in a short period of time, these ion thrusters produce mild but continuous acceleration over months and years.

Through extensive diagnostic testing, NASA engineers determined that a component inside a propellant valve failed, causing blockage of xenon flow. The valve mechanism designed to open and close the fuel flow appears to have suffered a mechanical failure that engineers cannot repair remotely.

Backup system save tasks

Fortunately, the mission planners have anticipated such a problem. The spacecraft comes with two identical propellant lines – a main system and a complete backup. After weeks of analysis and testing, the engineers successfully directed the spacecraft to switch to its redundant fuel pipeline.

Now, the backup system is running as expected, and the mission controller plans to restart the thruster in mid-June. To prevent similar problems, engineers will permanently open the valves of the spare wire, eliminating mechanical cycles that may cause the original failure.

Stay intact on mission critical schedule

Despite the two-month delay, the mind’s plan to arrive at asteroid 16 in August 2029 is still expected. This is the future:

• Mid-June 2025: Propeller resume operation
• May 2026: Mars gravity assisted operation
• August 2029: Arrival at the Asteroid Psychology

The Mars Flying Rat represents a key milestone as the spacecraft will use the gravity of the Red Planet as a slingshot to accelerate the major asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This gravitational assisted technology allows tasks to achieve distant goals without carrying additional fuel.

The metal world is waiting

What makes this mission particularly interesting is the destination. Asteroid 16 Psyche appears to be composed primarily of iron and nickel, which may be the exposed core of the failed planet. Scientists believe that studying this metal-rich world can provide insights into how planetary cores form and develop.

The spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Paces Center in October 2023 and began a journey of nearly six years. Despite the uncertainty caused by recent advancement issues, the successful switch to a backup system proves the value of redundant engineering in deep space missions.

Can this valve failure mode affect other spacecraft using similar technologies? NASA has not pointed out whether the problem may affect other tasks, but the agency’s methodological approach to diagnosing and solving the problem provides valuable data for future power propulsion systems.

Psyche Mission continues to pioneer advanced technologies, including NASA’s first test of laser communications in deep space. As the spacecraft resumes its powered flight to the asteroid belt, it carries not only scientific instruments, but also lessons learned about the reliability of next-generation propulsion systems.