The launch of NASA's Psyche probe aboard a Falcon Heavy is no longer scheduled for the 2022 window (August 1 - October 11).
Psyche was selected in 2017 as part of the US agency's Discovery Program to study a metal-rich asteroid.
The launch of the probe was delayed due to the late delivery of the flight software and vehicle test equipment.
The navigation and flight software will control the vehicle's orientation and provide trajectory information to the solar electric propulsion system. This software will also be used to steer the vehicle's antenna towards Earth to allow for data exchange with mission control.
This is not the first delay of the mission, last May the launch date was moved from August to September 20 due to a compatibility problem with the test bench simulators and, even if the problem has been identified and fixed, there is not enough time left for the necessary software checks.
The mission's launch period in 2022 would have allowed the spacecraft to arrive at the Psyche asteroid in 2026.
The launch of the probe is now scheduled for no earlier than (NET) of 2023, if not 2024, moving the arrival at the asteroid to no earlier than 2029/30.