Psyche spacecraft to slingshot past Mars on Friday
Using Mars as a gravitational slingshot, the spacecraft will pass within 2,800 miles of the Red Planet, testing all instruments while en route to Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid that may be the exposed core of an ancient planet.
May 14th 2026 · United States
NASA's Psyche spacecraft will perform a close flyby of Mars on Friday, using the planet's gravitational pull as a slingshot to accelerate toward its ultimate destination: a rare metal asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The spacecraft will pass within 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of Mars at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph), with all science instruments activated to capture thousands of images and conduct calibration tests. NASA's Mars rovers and a fleet of U.S. and European orbiters will simultaneously observe the Red Planet for comparison purposes, while the Psyche spacecraft tests its instruments ahead of the main encounter in 2029. The spacecraft, launched in October 2023, is currently midway through a 2.2-billion-mile journey to the potato-shaped asteroid Psyche, which measures roughly 173 miles long and 144 miles wide. Scientists believe the asteroid may be the exposed nickel and iron core of a fledgling planet that was stripped down by ancient cosmic collisions, making it a unique opportunity to study planetary formation from 4.6 billion years ago. Unlike most objects in the asteroid belt, which are made of rock or ice, only a small percentage are thought to be metal-rich like Psyche. The van-sized spacecraft uses solar electric propulsion with xenon gas thrusters and is expected to arrive at its target in 2029, when it will slip into orbit for two years of close study. Jim Bell, imaging team leader from Arizona State University, noted that the different angles of Mars captured during the flyby will allow operators to fine-tune their instruments while producing "just plain beautiful photos." Lead investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton emphasized that while the primary purpose of the flyby is trajectory adjustment, having all instruments powered up for testing and calibration represents "the icing on the cake." Once in orbit around the asteroid, the spacecraft will photograph its surface and analyze its composition, potentially offering insights into why and how Earth spawned life by studying the building blocks of planetary cores.