A Probe Took Incredible Pictures of Mars on Its Way to a Far-Off Asteroid | WIREDSkip to main contentMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuAccountAccountNewslettersSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoLivestreamsMerchSearchSearchJorge GarayScienceMay 25, 2026 5:00 AMA Probe Took Incredible Pictures of Mars on Its Way to a Far-Off AsteroidNASA took advantage of the recent close approach of the Psyche probe to Mars to calibrate its observation instruments.Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe Psyche probe, launched in October 2023 on its way to the metallic asteroid it studies, recently performed a flyby of Mars to take advantage of its gravitational pull and continue its trajectory toward the asteroid belt. During the maneuver, the spacecraft obtained new images of the red planet.Psyche passed within 4,609 kilometers, or 2,864 miles, of the Martian surface, and was boosted to a higher velocity after completing the gravity assist. On the approach, NASA activated onboard cameras, magnetometers, and gamma ray and neutron spectrometers to calibrate each instrument using the planet's atmosphere and terrain.In recent images released by the space agency, the rugged Martian surface can be seen in detail, along with traces of the solar wind that, around craters and the south polar cap, is rich in water ice.“We’ve captured thousands of images of the approach to Mars and of the planet’s surface and atmosphere at close approach. This dataset provides unique and important opportunities for us to calibrate and characterize the performance of the cameras, as well as test the early versions of our image processing tools being developed for use at the asteroid Psyche," said Jim Bell, Psyche's imager instrument lead at Arizona State University.One of the first pictures taken by the Psyche mission.
Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUAccording to the mission scientists, after its flyby of Mars, the probe reached a speed of 1,600 kilometers (or 994 miles) per hour while moving its orbit by one degree. The goal is to reach Psyche in the summer of 2029.Close approach to the south polar cap of Mars, where it is likely that water can be extracted.
Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUWhen it reaches its destination in August 2029, the probe will orbit the asteroid Psyche, which is believed to be the partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of a primitive planet. The purpose will be to map it to obtain valuable data and, in turn, better understand Earth's interior.Each large crater in this image, in the Syrtis Major region, is about 50 km, or 31 miles, in diameter.
Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUThis is the large double-ring Huygens crater, whose diameter is 470 km, or 292 miles.
Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUThis story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.CommentsBack to topTriangleYou Might Also LikeHow to find us: Add WIRED.com to your preferred sources in GoogleHow the Canvas hack threatened thousands of schoolsBig Story: I've covered robots for years—this one is eerily lifelikeOrbs, saucers, and flashes on the moon—here’s what’s in the UFO filesTake our survey: What does “home” mean to you?Jorge Garay is a contributor to WIRED en Español. He specializes in technology, cybersecurity, and the legislative impact of social media. He has worked in digital media for 10 years. He is passionate about geek culture, astronomy, and the development of new communication technologies. ... Read MoreContributorTopicsMarsspaceNASAAsteroidsSpacecraftRead MoreNASA’s Curiosity Rover Got Its Drill Stuck on a Rock. Here’s How They Freed ItThis is the first time NASA has encountered a situation like this, and it took nearly a week to resolve.Marta MussoMexico City Is Sinking. A Powerful NASA Satellite Just Revealed How FastA new NASA map shows how the sinking of Mexico City is uneven, with areas registering up to 2 centimeters per month.Fernanda GonzálezAsteroid 2026 JH2 Is About to Fly Right Past Earth—Relatively SpeakingOn May 18, an asteroid about the size of Chicago’s Cloud Gate will fly four times closer to Earth than the moon.Anna Lisa BonfranceschiThe Universe Is Full of ‘Impossible’ Black Holes. Scientists Now Know WhyThere are black holes that are too big to be born from the death of a star but aren’t quite supermassive either. There’s finally evidence for where those came from.Jorge GarayMeet Rassvet, Russia’s Answer to StarlinkWith the launch of the first 16 satellites, Russia begins construction of a network for satellite internet that aims to cover the entire country by 2030. But getting there won’t be easy.Lucia BellinelloCalifornia’s Wildfire Season Is Already OveractiveMajor fires are threatening homes and ecologically sensitive areas following a hot, dry winter.Brian KahnThe First Atomic Bomb Test in 1945 Created an Entirely New MaterialThe discovery from the Trinity nuclear test site shows how extreme conditions can result in materials never before seen in nature or in the lab.Marta Musso‘Orbs,’ ‘Saucers,’ and ‘Flashes’ on the Moon: Pentagon Drops New UFO FilesThe Defense Department has released a new trove of declassified documents about government UFO sightings.Becky FerreiraTesla Reveals New Details About Robotaxi Crashes—and the Humans InvolvedRemote operators (slowly) drove the automaker’s autonomous vehicles into a metal fence and a construction barricade, Tesla says.Aarian MarshallHow Wet Weather in Argentina Helped Fuel the Cruise Ship Hantavirus OutbreakClimate change is helping create conditions that are driving the rodent boom—dubbed a ratada—in Argentina.María de los Ángeles OrfilaWelcome to the Great American Satellite AgeA new generation of satellite startups in San Francisco is racing to capitalize on recent technological breakthroughs in space-based data collection and communications.Paresh DaveSpaceX IPO Filing Reveals Anthropic Is Paying $15 Billion a Year to Access Its Data CentersThe long-awaited documents SpaceX filed with US regulators Wednesday included details about a lucrative deal to lend GPUs to a major AI rival.Maxwell ZeffWIRED is obsessed with what comes next. Through rigorous investigations and game-changing reporting, we tell stories that don’t just reflect the moment—they help create it. When you look back in 10, 20, even 50 years, WIRED will be the publication that led the story of the present, mapped the people, products, and ideas defining it, and explained how those forces forged the future. WIRED: For Future Reference.More From WIREDSubscribeNewslettersLivestreamsTravelFAQWIRED StaffWIRED EducationEditorial StandardsArchiveRSSSite MapAccessibility HelpReviews and GuidesReviewsBuying GuidesStreaming GuidesWearablesCouponsGift GuidesAdvertiseContact UsManage AccountJobsPress CenterCondé Nast StoreUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyYour California Privacy Rights© 2026 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad ChoicesSelect international siteUnited StatesLargeChevronItaliaJapónCzech Republic & SlovakiaFacebookXPinterestYouTubeInstagramTiktok

NASA utilized a recent close approach of the Psyche probe to Mars to calibrate its onboard observation instruments, leveraging the gravitational pull of the planet for trajectory adjustments. During this maneuver, the spacecraft passed within 4,609 kilometers of the Martian surface, allowing mission scientists to gather essential data by observing the planet's atmosphere and terrain. To achieve this calibration, NASA activated instruments including onboard cameras, magnetometers, and gamma ray and neutron spectrometers. This process yielded a substantial dataset consisting of thousands of images detailing the approach to Mars and the planet's surface and atmosphere at close range.

The data collected from this flyby is crucial for calibrating the performance of the cameras and testing the nascent image processing tools being developed for the Psyche mission. Jim Bell, the imager instrument lead for Psyche at Arizona State University, emphasized that this dataset offers unique opportunities to characterize the instrumentation. Furthermore, the approach provided details of the Martian surface, revealing traces of solar wind around craters and the south polar cap where water ice is potentially extractable.

Following the gravity assist, the Psyche probe achieved a velocity of 1,600 kilometers per hour while completing a one-degree orbital change. The overall trajectory is aimed at reaching the asteroid Psyche by the summer of 2029. The ultimate objective of the mission is to orbit Psyche, which is hypothesized to be the partial core of a planetesimal, a foundational building block of a primitive planet, with the goal of mapping the asteroid to acquire valuable data that will enhance the understanding of Earth's interior. The images acquired during the approach provided detailed views of geological features on Mars, such as large craters in the Syrtis Major region, some measuring approximately fifty kilometers in diameter, and the large double-ring Huygens crater, which spans four hundred seventy kilometers in diameter.