NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aces Mars flyby capturing stunning timelapse video
Science Daily · 2026-07-28
On July 28, 2026, NASA's Psyche spacecraft successfully executed a Mars flyby, utilizing the planet's gravity to increase its speed and adjust its trajectory towards the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. This critical maneuver, which occurred on May 15, positioned the spacecraft for its rendezvous with the main asteroid belt target in 2029. Beyond the gravitational assist, the flyby served as a crucial test for Psyche's scientific instruments. The imager, magnetometer, and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer teams gathered valuable data, validating the instruments' performance by comparing their observations against established knowledge of Mars. The neutron spectrometer detected an expected count-rate enhancement, while the magnetometer recorded an intense uptick in the magnetic field at Mars' bow shock region. The multispectral imager captured a stunning time-lapse video, revealing details like wind-shaped craters and the south polar ice cap, and allowed for a rehearsal of searching for small moons.
*The full article also explores the instrument calibration process through comparisons with other Mars missions and the ongoing analysis of the collected data.*