Psyche Gains Mars Gravity Boost for 2029 Asteroid Arrival
Updated
Updated · Science@NASA · Jul 30
Psyche Gains Mars Gravity Boost for 2029 Asteroid Arrival
3 articles · Updated · Science@NASA · Jul 30
Summary
NASA said Psyche used a May 2026 flyby of Mars to gain speed and shift course toward the Psyche asteroid while spending minimal fuel.
87,000 km/h orbital motion plus Mars' gravity effectively pulled the spacecraft along, a maneuver that lets deep-space missions travel farther than fuel alone would allow.
During the Mars pass, Psyche also tested instruments that will study the target asteroid's composition and magnetic field.
The mission is on track to become the first to visit an asteroid believed to be largely metallic rather than rocky or icy, offering clues to planetary building blocks.