{"id":435765,"date":"2026-05-19T23:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/435765\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T23:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:19:09","slug":"nasas-psyche-mission-aces-mars-flyby-targets-metal-rich-asteroid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/435765\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-block-key=\"uw5lx\">In addition to the imager, early calibration measurements made by Psyche\u2019s magnetometers may have detected Mars\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/science-research\/astrophysics\/cosmic-bow-shocks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bow shock<\/a> as the spacecraft passed the planet. The gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer team was also quickly gathering data to calibrate the instrument by comparing their measurements with the large pool of existing Mars data.<\/p>\n<p>Onward to asteroid Psyche<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"1ndv6\">With Mars in the rearview mirror, the spacecraft will soon resume using its solar-electric propulsion system to make a beeline to the main asteroid belt. When it arrives in August 2029, it will insert itself into orbit around the asteroid Psyche, which is thought to be the partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet. Through a series of circular orbits that go lower and then higher in altitude around Psyche, which is about 173 miles (280 kilometers) across at its widest point, the spacecraft will map the asteroid and gather science data.<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"fvint\">If the asteroid proves to be the metallic core of an ancient planetesimal, it could offer a one-of-a-kind window into the interior of rocky planets like Earth.<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"bp738\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been anticipating the Mars flyby for years, but now it\u2019s complete. We can thank the Red Planet for giving our spacecraft a critical gravitational slingshot farther into the solar system,\u201d said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator for Psyche at the University of California, Berkeley. \u201cOnward to the asteroid Psyche!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More about Psyche<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"5i4b9\">The Psyche mission is led by ASU. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL is responsible for the mission\u2019s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Intuitive Machines in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. The operations of the imager instrument are led by ASU, collaborating with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego on the design, fabrication, and testing of the cameras.<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"u3os\">Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/planetarymissions\/discovery.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NASA\u2019s Discovery Program<\/a>, managed by the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program, based at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managed the launch service.<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"4iu79\">For more information about NASA\u2019s Psyche mission, visit:<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"bpkcq\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/psyche\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/psyche\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In addition to the imager, early calibration measurements made by Psyche\u2019s magnetometers may have detected Mars\u2019 bow shock&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435766,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-435765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}