A NASA spacecraft has captured striking new images of Mars as it flew past the Red Planet at an altitude of just 4,609km during a gravity-assist manoeuvre on its journey towards the asteroid belt.
The Psyche spacecraft, which is en route to study the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, used Mars’ gravity to adjust its trajectory and gain speed as part of its long mission through the Solar System, News.Az reports, citing Sky at Night Magazine.
The flyby took place on 15 May 2026 and provided the mission team with both scientific data and a valuable operational test ahead of the spacecraft’s arrival at its target asteroid in 2029.
Engineers confirmed that the manoeuvre gave the spacecraft a boost of around 1,000 miles per hour and altered its orbital path by approximately one degree relative to the Sun.
During the encounter, Psyche captured thousands of images of Mars, including views of the planet as a thin crescent illuminated by sunlight scattered through its atmosphere.
Scientists said the images will help calibrate onboard instruments and refine imaging systems for future operations at asteroid Psyche, while also testing data-processing tools in real mission conditions.
The spacecraft continues its journey using solar-electric propulsion and is expected to enter orbit around asteroid Psyche in August 2029.
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