Results and Lessons Learned from the Psyche Mission Launch and Solar Array Deployment

“Psyche: Journey to a Metal World” launched on October 13, 2023 from Cape Canaveral atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission is using an electric propulsion system to rendezvous with and orbit the large metal asteroid (16) Psyche. Psyche is a hybrid development with deep-space avionics provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a solar electric propulsion chassis provided by Maxar, carrying a magnetometer, multispectral imager, and gamma ray & neutron spectrometer payloads and the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration. The Psyche mission Launch Phase encompassed the final spacecraft configuration in countdown through the first ground commanding after solar array deployment. This period was the mission's only critical event, where the spacecraft autonomously detected separation from the launch vehicle, deployed both array wings, located the Sun, and achieved a power-positive, thermally-safe, and communicative state. This paper discusses results from the Launch Phase, focusing on flight results compared to ground testing, methodologies used to confirm full and complete solar array deployment, and challenges faced by the launch team. The paper also includes lessons learned and impacts of the 1-year launch delay.