NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid
19 May 2026, 19:49 GMT
By Stephen Carney
Topic: Psyche Mission
Source URL: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/psyche-mission/nasas-psyche-mission-aces-mars-flyby-targets-metal-rich-asteroid/
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, coming within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. This flyby used a gravity assist from Mars to provide a critical boost in speed and to adjust the spacecraft’s orbital plane without using any onboard propellant, sending it on its way toward