Unique Mars view: NASA’s Psyche probe captures planet from impossible angle
Mars helped NASA’s probe change its orbit (photo: NASA)
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has successfully performed a critical gravity assist maneuver near Mars, using the planet as a slingshot for acceleration. The event served as a dress rehearsal before the probe arrived at the most metal-rich asteroid in the Solar System, according to Ars Technica.
A rare view of Mars
Although the main purpose of the flyby was to gain gravitational acceleration, the Psyche science team used the opportunity to conduct a large-scale check of the spacecraft’s onboard instruments.
The probe approached Mars from the side opposite the Sun, allowing its cameras to capture the Red Planet as a thin, bright crescent — a perspective that cannot be seen from Earth.
This crescent-shaped image of Mars was taken on May 15, 2026, by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft (photo: NASA).
As Psyche flew past the planet, its multispectral camera captured thousands of wide-angle images, recording the southern polar ice cap and later the giant canyon system of Valles Marineris.
According to imaging team lead Jim Bell, these observations will help scientists precisely calibrate the instrument sensors before the spacecraft reaches its final destination.
Instrument testing in real conditions
In addition to the cameras, ground engineers tested two key scientific instruments:
Gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers: These were calibrated to measure the chemical composition of Martian soil directly beneath the spacecraft’s flight path.
Magnetometer: The instrument detected the specific signature of interactions between the solar wind and the upper layers of Mars’ atmosphere, as well as the planet’s residual magnetic fields.
NASA Psyche spacecraft (photo: Wikimedia)
Next stop — a metallic asteroid
The spacecraft, launched in October 2023 aboard SpaceX’s heavy-lift Falcon Heavy rocket, uses advanced plasma (ion) engines. These engines operate very gently but continuously, gradually building momentum for a journey totaling 3.6 billion kilometers.
The successful Mars gravity assist has placed Psyche on its trajectory toward its final path. The main event of the mission is expected in the summer of 2029, when the spacecraft will arrive at the unique asteroid Psyche.
