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NASA's Psyche Probe Faces Urgent Propulsion Crisis

5/2/2025

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Summary

Story summary

NASA faces a critical challenge with its Psyche probe, currently 148 million miles from Earth. A pressure drop in the xenon gas line has forced the thrusters to shut down, putting the mission's 2029 asteroid orbit at risk. Engineers are racing against the clock, with a mid-June deadline to fix the propulsion issues.

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Story summary

NASA faces a critical challenge with its Psyche probe, currently 148 million miles from Earth. A pressure drop in the xenon gas line has forced the thrusters to shut down, putting the mission's 2029 asteroid orbit at risk. Engineers are racing against the clock, with a mid-June deadline to fix the propulsion issues.