NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Zooms Past Mars on Metal Asteroid Mission

NASA's Psyche spacecraft will perform a close flyby of Mars on Friday, May 22, 2026, leveraging the Red Planet's gravity for a crucial boost on its multi-year journey to a rare metal asteroid. Launched in October 2023, the Psyche mission is on a 2.2-billion-mile voyage to the asteroid Psyche, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists believe this asteroid, rich in metals like nickel and iron, could be the exposed core of an ancient planet, offering unparalleled insights into the formation of planetary cores, including Earth's.

The spacecraft will approach within approximately 2,800 miles of the Martian surface, traveling at a speed of roughly 12,333 miles per hour. This maneuver is designed to increase Psyche's velocity and refine its trajectory, reducing the need for onboard propellant. "The spacecraft will harness the planet's gravitational pull to speed up and adjust its trajectory" toward the target asteroid, according to NASA.

Observing Mars and Testing Technology

While the primary objective of the Mars flyby is to gain momentum, the mission team also plans to utilize the opportunity for scientific observation and technological testing. Images captured during the encounter will be used to compile a time-lapse video of the planet. Jim Bell of Arizona State University, a member of the mission team, noted that while the iconic reddish hue of Mars might not be fully apparent in all images due to lighting and distance, the resulting visuals are still expected to be striking. Furthermore, the spacecraft will test a new deep-space communication technology, the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment, which uses lasers to transmit data. This system, if successful, could significantly enhance future deep-space exploration capabilities by enabling higher data rates over vast distances.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the lead investigator for the Psyche mission, emphasized the flyby's core purpose: "Ultimately, though, the only reason for this flyby is to get a little help from Mars to speed us up and tilt our trajectory in the direction of the asteroid Psyche." She added that any additional scientific data or technology calibration gathered during the encounter would be a welcome bonus. The mission is also anticipated to test a satellite feature that could be employed in the future to detect objects within the asteroid belt.

The asteroid Psyche is considered a unique target in our solar system. Unlike most asteroids composed of rock and ice, Psyche is believed to be largely metallic. Its composition is thought to be similar to Earth's core, making it a prime candidate for studying planetary differentiation – the process by which a planet separates into a core, mantle, and crust. By orbiting and studying asteroid Psyche up close, NASA hopes to gain a clearer understanding of how rocky planets, including our own, formed and evolved billions of years ago. The spacecraft is expected to reach the asteroid and enter orbit around it by the end of 2029. Once in orbit, the Psyche mission plans to spend approximately two years mapping the asteroid's surface and analyzing its elemental composition.