This was the Psyche spacecraft’s view of Mars on May 3, 2026. But Mars is about to get much larger from its point of view! The Psyche mission will fly by Mars on Friday, May 15, 2026, from a distance of only 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers). Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ ASU.
Psyche mission flyby of Mars tomorrow
The Psyche spacecraft, launched in 2023, is headed toward a rare metal asteroid named Psyche. It will arrive in 2029, but in order to get there, it first has to make a close flyby of Mars to adjust its direction and pick up a boost of speed. On Friday, May 15, 2026, Psyche will make that flyby, coming within 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of the red planet’s surface. That’s closer than Earth’s geostationary satellites. The spacecraft will be traveling at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph).
Psyche already sent back an image of Mars on May 3 (see above). Soon that crescent shape will loom large in Psyche’s view. In the image above, Psyche was still about 3 million miles (4.8 million km) away. Because of the angle of Psyche’s approach, Mars will appear as a crescent until the spacecraft passes the red planet. Then it will see a fully lit Mars. Scientists plan to put together a timelapse of Psyche’s images of the Mars flyby in the coming weeks. So stay tuned!
Does Mars have a ring?
Astronomers think Mars might have a faint, dusty ring. The ring would be the result of micrometeorites striking Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and ejecting dust into orbit around Mars. So there’s a chance Psyche could see this dusty ring around Mars. The sun-Mars-Psyche alignment might allow the sun striking the particles to scatter light, and image processing could pick up the ring.
Colorized version of Psyche’s image of Mars from May 3, 2026. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ ASU.
Why fly by Mars?
While most flybys are planned to give a spacecraft a boost of speed, this flyby is also important to slightly change the spacecraft’s trajectory. The orbit of asteroid Psyche is skewed by about 3 degrees from the plane of the solar system. So in order to get to the asteroid Psyche, the Psyche mission must adjust its trajectory by a little bit.
In this diagram of the planets in our solar system, you can see Psyche’s orbit (green) is slightly tilted compared to the solar system’s plane. Image via In-the-Sky.org. Visit the interactive diagram here.
More about the Psyche mission and asteroid
Some scientists think the asteroid Psyche is a failed planet. Perhaps, as the nascent planet formed, something struck it and stripped off the outer layers, leaving behind the metallic core. If so, then some estimates put the massive, metal-rich object’s worth at $10,000 quadrillion. That’s more than the entire economy of Earth.
However, a 2021 study from the University of Arizona said asteroid Psyche might not be as metallic or dense as scientists once thought. Instead, these scientists said:
Rather than being an intact exposed core of an early planet, it might actually be closer to a rubble pile.
Who’s right? That’s what the Psyche mission hopes to discover when it arrives at the asteroid in 2029.
Artist’s concept of asteroid Psyche. Image via Maxar/ ASU/ P. Rubin/ NASA/ JPL-Caltech.
Bottom line: The Psyche mission will fly by Mars on May 15, 2026. It’s getting a boost and course trajectory adjustment as it speeds toward the asteroid Psyche. More pics and a timelapse of the flyby to come!
Read more: Ancient lake on Mars? Rover finds strong new evidence
Read more: New meteor shower from an asteroid being eroded by the sun
Kelly Kizer Whitt
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About the Author:
Kelly Kizer Whitt – EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube – writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She’s been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children’s picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.