NASA Spacecraft Captures Rare Crescent Mars Ahead Of Friday’s Flyby

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will fly past Mars on May 15, 2026, using the planet’s gravity to accelerate toward asteroid Psyche.

A close brush with Mars will reshape NASA's Psyche journey in a way few missions attempt

NASA's Psyche spacecraft will get a boost from Mars on Friday, May 15, passing just 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) from the planet's surface at some 12,333 mph (19,848 kph). The spacecraft will harness the planet's gravitational pull to speed up and adjust its trajectory toward the metal-rich asteroid Psyche,