Overview
- Psyche completed a close gravity‑assist flyby of Mars on May 15 that mission teams confirm gave the spacecraft about a 1,000 mile‑per‑hour speed boost and shifted its orbital plane by roughly 1 degree.
- The spacecraft passed approximately 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) above Mars at closest approach with all science instruments active during the encounter.
- Psyche’s cameras took thousands of images, including rare crescent‑phase shots and views of the southern polar region and dust‑streaked craters, which engineers are using to calibrate the multispectral imager and other instruments.
- The gravity assist conserved xenon propellant and reduced months of ion‑thrusting that would otherwise be needed, allowing the mission to remain on a direct trajectory for a mid/late‑2029 rendezvous with asteroid 16 Psyche.
- If asteroid 16 Psyche proves to be metal‑rich or an exposed planetary core, the spacecraft’s planned two years of orbital study beginning in 2029 could offer new, direct insight into how planetary interiors form and evolve.