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 In May 2026, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will reach a major mission milestone as it performs a high-speed Mars gravity assist. This "slingshot" maneuver is essential for the probe to reach the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche by 2029.

The Mechanics of the Slingshot

• Trajectory Boost: The spacecraft will dip into Mars’ gravitational well, using the planet’s orbital momentum to accelerate and redirect its path toward the outer asteroid belt.
• Altitude: Psyche is expected to fly between 3,000 to 4,400 kilometres (approx. 1,900–2,700 miles) above the Martian surface.
• Velocity: During the close approach, the probe will be travelling at roughly 21,000 kph (13,000 mph) relative to Mars.
• Thruster Pause: To maximize the gravity assist, the spacecraft will temporarily power down its solar electric Hall-effect thrusters and "coast" past the planet.

The "Dry Run" Opportunity

While the flyby's primary purpose is navigation, it serves as a critical operational rehearsal:

• Instrument Calibration: The team will use Mars as a well-characterized target to test the Multispectral Imager and other science sensors.
• Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC): The mission will continue testing its laser communication tech, which aims to transmit data at rates 10 to 100 times faster than traditional radio.
• Trajectory Verification: Successful completion of this assist confirms the spacecraft is on the correct "spiral" path for its arrival at asteroid Psyche in August 2029.

Other Mars Activity in 2026

Psyche isn't the only mission focused on the Red Planet this year. The 2026 Mars launch window opens late in the year (October–December), with several high-profile launches planned:

• ESCAPADE: NASA’s twin "Blue" and "Gold" smallsats will launch to study the Martian magnetosphere.
• MMX (Martian Moons eXploration): JAXA plans to launch this ambitious mission to sample the moon Phobos and fly past Deimos.
• Starship Missions: SpaceX has hinted at uncrewed Starship attempts to Mars during this window to test landing infrastructure for future human missions.