Psyche Mission to Use Mars Gravity Assist to Reach Metal-Rich Asteroid
TL;DR
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will perform a gravity assist by flying within roughly 2,800–3,000 miles of Mars on May 15 to gain speed and redirect toward the metal‑rich asteroid 16 Psyche. The Mars flyby will also calibrate Psyche’s instruments, including its multispectral imager, as it heads toward its 2029 rendezvous with the asteroid believed to be an exposed nickel‑iron core. A February trajectory correction set up the maneuver, and scientists also anticipate potential Mars dust‑ring observations and a search for small moons to aid future mission planning.
Topics:sciencespace-exploration#16-psyche#mars-gravity-assist#nasa-jpl#psyche-mission#space-exploration#trajectory-correction
- NASA's Psyche asteroid probe will fly within 3,000 miles of Mars on May 15: Here's what to expect Space
- NASA’s Psyche Mission to Fly by Mars for Gravity Assist NASA Science (.gov)
- NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph ScienceDaily
- NASA’s Psyche spacecraft prepares for crucial Mars flyby this Friday WBIW
- This Image of Mars was Captured from a Distance of 5 million Kms DIY Photography
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