The NASA Psyche spacecraft completed a close flyby of Mars on May 15, passing approximately 4,600 kilometers from the planet’s surface at a speed exceeding 19,848 kilometers per hour, according to mission officials. The maneuver used Mars as a gravitational slingshot to alter the spacecraft’s trajectory toward its ultimate destination, a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt.
How the Mars Gravity Assist Propelled the Psyche Mission
During the encounter, the spacecraft gained a significant velocity increase without expending its onboard xenon propellant. According to Don Han, navigation lead for the Psyche mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Mars provided a 1,000 mile-per-hour speed boost and shifted the spacecraft’s orbital plane by about 1 degree relative to the Sun. Bob Mase, project manager for Psyche at JPL, stated that the trajectory puts the spacecraft on a precise path to rendezvous with the asteroid Psyche in the summer of 2029.
In addition to altering the probe’s speed, the flyby allowed the spacecraft’s instruments to capture imagery of the Red Planet. According to NASA, the spacecraft photographed Mars as a thin nighttime crescent, imaged its south polar cap which spans roughly 700 kilometers, and captured details of the double-ringed Huygens crater.
Did you know? The Psyche spacecraft utilized deep space optical communication (DSOC) technology during its journey to beam data, including a video of a cat named Tater, back to Earth using near-infrared lasers rather than traditional radio waves.
Targeting the Metallic Asteroid 16 Psyche
Launched in 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the singles tennis court-sized spacecraft is heading toward the 16th asteroid to be discovered. Named after the Greek goddess of the soul, the asteroid Psyche was discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis. The object measures roughly 280 kilometers across its longest dimension and sits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, roughly three times farther from the Sun than Earth.
Astronomers hypothesize that the potato-shaped asteroid may represent the exposed iron core of an ancient planetesimal—a building block of early planets stripped of its rocky outer layers by violent collisions. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator of the Psyche mission and director of the Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, noted that the mission’s instrument teams worked during the Mars encounter to verify instrument performance. Upon arrival in August 2029, the spacecraft will use a multispectral imager, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, a magnetometer, and an X-band radio telecommunications system to determine whether the body is a battered planetary core or a rubble pile.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Psyche spacecraft reach the asteroid?
The spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with the asteroid Psyche in August 2029.
How fast did the spacecraft travel during the Mars flyby?
The spacecraft passed Mars at a speed exceeding 19,848 kilometers per hour (12,000 miles per hour), receiving a 1,000 mile-per-hour velocity boost from the planet’s gravity.
What is the primary scientific goal of the Psyche mission?
The mission aims to determine the composition of the asteroid 16 Psyche, investigating whether it is the exposed iron core of an early planetesimal or a rubble pile.
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