NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Is About To Use Mars As A Slingshot

On May 15th 2026, something genuinely spectacular is happening in our solar system. NASA's Psyche spacecraft, launched in October 2023 on a mission to explore a mysterious metal-rich asteroid, will skim just 2,800 miles above the surface of Mars while traveling at 12,333 miles per hour, using the planet's gravity to catapult itself deeper into the solar system. The technique, called a gravity assist, lets the spacecraft borrow Mars' own momentum to increase speed without burning extra fuel. As Psyche approaches from Mars' dark side, cameras aboard the spacecraft will capture the planet first as a thin crescent of light, then swing around to reveal a nearly full view of Mars before racing onward toward the asteroid belt. "We're catching up with the planet from its night side," said Jim Bell, Psyche's imaging lead at Arizona State University, "with only a sliver of sunlight creating a thin crescent — the nearly 'full Mars' view after we fly past creates opportunities for just plain beautiful photos." Scientists are also hoping to spot a faint dusty ring believed to surround Mars, formed by micrometeorites striking its two moons.

The flyby is also a crucial dress rehearsal as Psyche's cameras, magnetometer, and gamma-ray spectrometer will all be calibrated using Mars as a test target before the spacecraft reaches asteroid Psyche in 2029. The asteroid itself is one of the most bizarre objects in the solar system, a massive metallic world that may be the exposed core of an ancient planet that lost its outer layers in violent collisions billions of years ago. Curiosity, Perseverance, and several European spacecraft already orbiting Mars will assist with navigation. A front-row seat to the solar system, happening right now.

Source:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234707.htm