
SpaceX fires up Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of Psyche asteroid mission launch
SpaceX fired up its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket on Saturday (Sept. 30) to get it ready to launch NASA's Psyche asteroid mission on Oct. 12.
Asteroids are space rocks thought to be the remains left over from the formation of the solar system. They range in size from tiny (the size of a car or so) to truly giant, with at least one - Ceres - gaining dwarf planet status. In our solar system, billions of asteroids are in the asteroid belt, a region around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Others stray from this region, and can potentially post an impact threat to the Earth. At least one interstellar asteroid, called 'Oumuamua, has passed through our solar system. Learn more about asteroids here.
Related Topics: Comets, Meteors, Shooting Stars and Fireballs, Rosetta Spacecraft