NASA's Psyche Gains 1,000 mph at Mars Flyby, Calibrating Instruments for 2029 Asteroid Arrival
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Jul 22
NASA's Psyche Gains 1,000 mph at Mars Flyby, Calibrating Instruments for 2029 Asteroid Arrival
3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Jul 22
Summary
NASA said Psyche passed 2,864 miles from Mars on May 15, using the flyby to gain about 1,000 mph and lock in its trajectory toward asteroid Psyche for summer 2029.
The month-long encounter also doubled as a full instrument checkout: all three science payloads worked as expected while observing the well-studied planet from a new angle.
The gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer detected the expected neutron surge, the magnetometer logged its first planetary magnetic signature since 2023, and the cameras captured Mars plus moons Phobos and Deimos.
Those moon sightings rehearsed the spacecraft's future search for possible moonlets around asteroid Psyche, while NASA said the probe remains healthy and should resume sustained solar-electric thrusting later this fall.