NASA's Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world

NASA's Psyche spacecraft successfully flew by Mars on May 15, 2026, as part of a gravity-assist maneuver, during which onboard instruments were powered up for calibration and took images of the Red Planet. Because Psyche approached Mars from a high phase angle, the planet appeared as a thin crescent before close approach, with the crescent appearing brighter and stretching farther than expected due to sunlight scattering through Mars's dusty atmosphere. The spacecraft will resume its solar-electric propulsion system journey to the main asteroid belt, where it is scheduled to arrive at asteroid Psyche in August 2029.

Source: Ars Technica | 2026-05-20