NASA's Psyche Probe Uses Mars Gravity Assist En Route to Metal Asteroid
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NASA's Psyche Probe Uses Mars Gravity Assist En Route to Metal Asteroid

Summary

NASA's Psyche spacecraft performed a Mars flyby to gain speed before continuing toward the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche, with arrival expected in 2029.

NASA's Psyche spacecraft passed within roughly 2,800 miles of Mars, traveling at about 12,000 mph, to execute a gravity-assist maneuver that will propel it deeper into the solar system. The maneuver was intended solely to increase the probe’s velocity for its primary mission, which is to study the asteroid 16 Psyche, a body thought to be composed largely of metal and possibly the remnant core of a protoplanet. Scientists expect the spacecraft to reach the asteroid in the summer of 2029. The mission aims to gather data that could improve understanding of planetary formation and the composition of metallic bodies in space.

Source

The Weather Channel

First reported

NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Completes Mars Flyby, Advances Toward Metal-Rich Asteroid

• CNN

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