The Psyche probe, launched in October 2023 on its way to the metallic asteroid it studies, recently performed a flyby of Mars to take advantage of its gravitational pull and continue its trajectory toward the asteroid belt. During the maneuver, the spacecraft obtained new images of the red planet.Psyche passed within 4,609 kilometers, or 2,864 miles, of the Martian surface, and was boosted to a higher velocity after completing the gravity assist. On the approach, NASA activated onboard cameras, magnetometers, and gamma ray and neutron spectrometers to calibrate each instrument using the planet's atmosphere and terrain.In recent images released by the space agency, the rugged Martian surface can be seen in detail, along with traces of the solar wind that, around craters and the south polar cap, is rich in water ice.“We’ve captured thousands of images of the approach to Mars and of the planet’s surface and atmosphere at close approach. This dataset provides unique and important opportunities for us to calibrate and characterize the performance of the cameras, as well as test the early versions of our image processing tools being developed for use at the asteroid Psyche," said Jim Bell, Psyche's imager instrument lead at Arizona State University.One of the first pictures taken by the Psyche mission.
A Probe Took Incredible Pictures of Mars on Its Way to a Far-Off Asteroid
NASA took advantage of the recent close approach of the Psyche probe to Mars to calibrate its observation instruments.
TL;DRAI
NASA's Psyche probe performed a Mars gravity assist flyby in May 2026, passing within 4,609 km of the surface to calibrate cameras and spectrometers before its 2029 rendezvous with the metallic asteroid Psyche. The mission targets a planetesimal core remnant, offering a rare opportunity to model planetary interiors without drilling — relevant for long-term space resource and geological research roadmaps.
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