May 15, 2026 3:50 PM
NASA’s Psyche probe nears Mars for gravity boost en route to metal-rich asteroid
NASA's Psyche probe was headed for a close encounter with Mars on Friday and a planned gravity boost to set the spacecraft on its final course to the solar system's largest known metallic asteroid, thought to be the remnant core of an ancient protoplanet. The Psyche probe, named for the asteroid it was designed to explore, was launched in October 2023 on a planned voyage of 2.2 billion miles and is expected to reach its destination on the outer fringes of the main asteroid belt between Mars and...