  Reactions on the proton-rich nuclides drive the nucleosynthesis in
Core-Collapse Supernovae (CCSNe) and in X-ray bursts (XRBs). CCSNe eject the
nucleosynthesis products to the interstellar medium and hence are a potential
inventory of p-nuclei, whereas in XRBs nucleosynthesis powers the light curves.
In both astrophysical sites the Ni-Cu cycle, which features a competition
between $^{59}$Cu(p,$\alpha$)$^{56}$Ni and $^{59}$Cu(p,$\gamma$)$^{60}$Zn,
could potentially halt the production of heavier elements. Here, we report the
first direct measurement of $^{59}$Cu(p,$\alpha$)$^{56}$Ni using a
re-accelerated $^{59}$Cu beam and cryogenic solid hydrogen target. Our results
show that the reaction proceeds predominantly to the ground state of $^{56}$Ni
and the experimental rate has been found to be lower than Hauser-Feshbach-based
statistical predictions. New results hint that the $\nu p$-process could
operate at higher temperatures than previously inferred and therefore remains a
viable site for synthesizing the heavier elements.
