NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Conducts Mars Gravity Assist en Route to Metal Asteroid (xataka.com)

• Psyche flew within 4,500 km of Mars at ~20,000 km/h
• Gravity assist to accelerate and adjust course toward asteroid Psyche
• Instruments calibrated; Mars rovers and orbiters monitored the flyby

"NASA's Psyche spacecraft, launched in 2023, performed a close flyby of Mars at 4,500 km distance on May 15, 2026, using the planet's gravity to gain speed and adjust its trajectory toward the Psyche asteroid, which it will reach in 2029. The flyby allowed instrument calibration and photography, with data also collected by Mars rovers and orbiters. The mission aims to study a rare metal asteroid believed to be a planetary core fragment."