2 weeks ago
NASA
NASA's Psyche spacecraft has conscionable flown person to Mars than nan planet's ain moons en way to the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. It was a planned maneuver truthful that nan spacecraft tin get gravity assistance from nan reddish satellite and conserve fuel, specifically nan xenon state propellant its solar-electric ion thruster strategy uses. The flyby gave Psyche a velocity boost and changed its trajectory truthful that it's now aligned pinch its target asteroid's orbit astir nan sun.
With a velocity of 12,300 mph, Psyche passed within 2,800 miles of nan satellite successful its closest attack astatine astir half past 3PM Eastern clip connected May 15. The Martian satellite Phobos orbits nan satellite from 3,700 miles away, while nan satellite Deimos is overmuch farther distant and is located 12,470 miles supra nan planet's surface.
Psyche has been approaching Mars since early May and has been taking photos of nan planet. From nan perspective of its approach, nan satellite appeared arsenic a bright, bladed crescent, arsenic its aboveground and nan particulate particles astir it bespeak ray from nan sun. Psyche's cameras took much images during its flyby, and it will beam them backmost complete nan coming days and weeks via the elephantine antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network. Those images will beryllium uploaded to nan mission's official page.
Psyche started its six-year, 2.2-billion-mile travel towards its namesake asteroid successful precocious 2023. It's expected to scope its destination successful July 2029 and to commencement moving connected its objectives nan adjacent month. The spacecraft will walk 2 years orbiting nan asteroid "to return pictures, representation nan aboveground and cod information to find Psyche's composition."
Scientists deliberation that Psyche, nan largest known metallic asteroid successful our star system, could be part of nan iron-rich halfway of a planetesimal. That's nan coagulated building artifact of a satellite formed successful nan early days of nan star system. As such, it could connection america penetration into nan halfway of our ain satellite and show america really it formed. "We can't bore a way to Earth's metallic halfway — aliases nan cores of nan different rocky planets — truthful visiting Psyche could supply a one-of-a-kind model into nan convulsive history of collisions and accumulation of matter that created planets for illustration our own," NASA explained.
This "gravity assist" flyby will usage nan Red Planet's propulsion to boost nan spacecraft's velocity and refine its trajectory connected its measurement to research nan mysterious, metal-rich asteroid Psyche.
Details: https://t.co/v4t8DRi6XW
Current region from Mars: 14,450 miles
Speed: 10,710 mph pic.twitter.com/GumPXTSKRI
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) May 15, 2026
