Summary
NASA's Psyche spacecraft will fly close to Mars to use the planet’s gravity to speed up and change its path as it travels to a rare metal asteroid. The spacecraft launched in October 2023 and will reach the asteroid in 2029 to study its metal-rich surface.Key Facts
- Psyche spacecraft launched in October 2023 on a 2.2-billion-mile mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid in the asteroid belt.
- The spacecraft will pass within 2,800 miles of Mars at about 12,333 miles per hour to gain a gravitational boost.
- This gravity assist helps save fuel and redirects Psyche toward its asteroid target.
- The asteroid Psyche is thought to be made mostly of metals like nickel and iron, possibly the core of a rocky planet.
- Psyche will orbit and study the asteroid’s surface for around two years starting in 2029.
- During the Mars flyby, Psyche will take images and test instruments, potentially capturing a time-lapse of Mars.
- The mission aims to better understand how planets like Earth formed by studying this unique metal world.
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