The Psyche spacecraft is bound for a metal-rich asteroid that it will examine up close starting in 2029. But first, it needs to swing past the Red Planet

NASA's asteroid-bound spacecraft Psyche is headed for an encounter with Mars on Friday (May 15) to get a boost from the Red Planet.

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 crucial manoeuvre scheduled for Friday will use the gravity of Mars to shift Psyche onto the right path, a faster and cheaper method NASA scientists say could help unlock clues about the birth of

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

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Named Psyche like the asteroid it's after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph) on Friday

The spacecraft will use Mars's gravity for a speed boost on its way to a rare metal asteroid. Psyche is expected to reach its destination by the end of 2029.