The Psyche spacecraft is targeted to launch in mid-2022 and travel to the asteroid using solar-electric (low-thrust) propulsion, arriving in 2026, following a Mars flyby and gravity-assist in 2023. After arrival, the mission plan calls for 21 months spent at the asteroid, mapping it and studying its properties. What gives asteroid Psyche great scientific interest is that it is likely rich in metal. It may consist largely of metal from the core of an early planet, one of the building blocks of the Sun's planetary system.