NASA's Psyche spacecraft just got an assist from Mars on the way to its asteroid namesake - Engadget

"NASA's Psyche spacecraft has just flown closer to Mars than the planet's own moons en route to the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. It was a planned maneuver so that the spacecraft can get gravity assist from the red planet and conserve fuel, specifically the xenon gas propellant its solar-electric ion thruster system uses. The flyby gave Psyche a speed boost and changed its trajectory so that it's now aligned with its target asteroid's orbit around the sun."

"With a speed of 12,300 mph, Psyche passed within 2,800 miles of the planet in its closest approach at approximately half past 3PM Eastern time on May 15. The Martian moon Phobos orbits the planet from 3,700 miles away, while the moon Deimos is much farther away and is located 12,470 miles above the planet's surface."

"Psyche has been approaching Mars since early May and has been taking photos of the planet. From the angle of its approach, the planet appeared as a bright, thin crescent, as its surface and the dust particles around it reflect light from the sun. Psyche's cameras took more images during its flyby, and it will beam them back over the coming days and weeks via the giant antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network. Those images will be uploaded to the mission's official page."

"Psyche started its six-year, 2.2-billion-mile journey towards its namesake asteroid in late 2023. It's expected to reach its destination in July 2029 and to start working on its objectives the next month. The spacecraft will spend two years orbiting the asteroid "to take pictures, map the surface and collect data to determine Psyche's composition.""

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft performed a planned close flyby of Mars to use a gravity assist and conserve xenon propellant used by its solar-electric ion thrusters. The maneuver increased spacecraft speed and adjusted its trajectory to match the orbit of asteroid 16 Psyche around the Sun. Psyche traveled at about 12,300 mph and passed within roughly 2,800 miles of Mars at about 3:30 PM Eastern time on May 15. During the approach and flyby, cameras captured images showing Mars as a bright, thin crescent. The spacecraft will transmit additional images to Earth through NASA’s Deep Space Network. Psyche began its six-year journey in late 2023, is expected to arrive in July 2029, and will orbit the asteroid for about two years to map and analyze its composition.

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