NASA Psyche 29,780 miles from Mars

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is making its closest approach to Mars on Friday, May 15, in a flyby designed to reshape its path to the asteroid Psyche, according to NASA mission updates. The agency said ahead of the maneuver that the spacecraft would pass about 2,800 miles, or 4,500 kilometers, above the Martian surface at roughly 12,333 mph, or 19,848 kph. NASA described the pass as a gravity assist rather than a science stop, using Mars’ pull to increase the spacecraft’s speed and alter its trajectory. The mission launched in October 2023 and remains bound for the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, where NASA expects orbital operations to begin in 2029. ### Why is Psyche flying so close to Mars? NASA said on May 8 that the Mars pass is intended to give the spacecraft a gravitational boost without requiring large amounts of additional propellant. The agency said Mars’ gravity will both speed up the spacecraft and tilt its course toward the outer main asteroid belt, where the target asteroid orbits. (science.nasa.gov) The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s mission materials say the flyby has long been part of the mission design. NASA has described the maneuver as the key planetary assist between the October 2023 launch and the spacecraft’s expected arrival at asteroid Psyche in 2029. ### How close is the spacecraft supposed to get? NASA’s published flyby preview put the closest-approach distance at about 2,800 miles above Mars’ surface on Friday, May 15. (science.nasa.gov) The same update said the spacecraft would be moving at about 12,333 mph during the pass. A NASA status page labeled “Psyche Now” showed fresh spacecraft telemetry on May 15, including speed figures in kilometers per second and Earth-range data, indicating the mission was continuing through the flyby window. (jpl.nasa.gov) That page is a live status display and can change as new tracking data arrive. ### Is the spacecraft studying Mars, or just using it? (science.nasa.gov) NASA said the main purpose of the encounter is navigation and momentum, not a dedicated Mars science campaign. The agency said the gravity assist will “speed up and steer” the spacecraft toward asteroid Psyche. NASA also released an image taken by Psyche on May 3 from about 3 million miles, or 4.8 million kilometers, away from Mars. (space.jpl.nasa.gov) The agency said the spacecraft approached the planet from a high-phase angle, making Mars appear as a thin crescent in the image. ### What is the spacecraft ultimately trying to reach? (science.nasa.gov) NASA says Psyche is headed to 16 Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The mission is intended to map the asteroid’s features, structure, composition and magnetic field, according to Jet Propulsion Laboratory mission materials. NASA’s mission overview says scientists want to examine a type of world not previously explored up close. (science.nasa.gov) The agency has said the asteroid may help researchers study building blocks of planet formation and the interiors of terrestrial planets. ### What happens after the Mars flyby? NASA’s mission fact sheet says the spacecraft is expected to enter orbit around asteroid Psyche in August 2029 after traveling about 2.2 billion miles, or 3.6 billion kilometers. (jpl.nasa.gov) The same fact sheet says the spacecraft is expected to spend at least 26 months in orbit mapping the asteroid and studying its properties. (science.nasa.gov) NASA’s mission-plan graphics say gravitational capture by the asteroid is expected in July 2029, with orbital operations beginning in August 2029. Those milestones are the next named checkpoints after the Mars gravity assist on May 15. (science.nasa.gov 1) (science.nasa.gov 2)