NASA's Psyche mission delivers Mars flyby data, time-lapse video - Phys.org

What the report says

Phys.org, carrying a Jet Propulsion Laboratory report, says NASA’s Psyche spacecraft successfully completed a Mars flyby on May 15, 2026, using the planet’s gravity to increase speed and adjust its path toward the asteroid Psyche. The mission team is now reviewing data and imagery from the encounter as preparation for the spacecraft’s planned arrival at the metal-rich asteroid in 2029.

The flyby served as a rehearsal for Psyche’s science operations. According to the report, the spacecraft’s multispectral imager, magnetometer, and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer operated as intended. The spectrometer could not detect Martian gamma rays from the flyby distance of 2,864 miles, but it did register an expected rise in neutron counts near closest approach. The magnetometer also measured a strong magnetic-field change as the spacecraft crossed the region where solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment.

Psyche’s cameras captured an enhanced-color mosaic and a time-lapse sequence showing approach, close pass and departure. The images included Martian surface features such as craters, the south polar ice cap and Huygens Crater, and also helped the team test calibration, scattered-light sensitivity and methods for spotting small moons. Scientists are comparing the new imagery with data from other Mars missions operated by NASA, ESA and the United Arab Emirates.

The mission matters because Psyche is designed to study an unusual asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter that may offer clues about early planetary building blocks. JPL said the spacecraft is on the needed trajectory for a summer 2029 rendezvous and remains in good condition, with sustained solar-electric thrusting expected to resume later in 2026.