Landing System for Hypothesized Surfaces

Summary

NASA, a leader in space exploration, discovered the asteroid 16-Psyche in the central asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, notable for its high metallic composition, believed to be the exposed core of an ancient planet. This discovery inspired the Psyche mission, which aims to send a probe to study the asteroid’s surface and gather critical data. Team Hephaestus contributed to this effort by designing a durable steel-and-aluminum lander with a spherical bottom to navigate 16-Psyche’s uneven terrain, along with an electromechanical system to deploy a robotic explorer after landing.