Observation During the Flyby
NASA's Psyche spacecraft collected a set of surface images of Mars during its close encounter with the planet on May 15, 2026. The onboard multispectral imaging instrument gathered four separate frames over a six-minute interval, which were later combined into a single mosaic.
The resulting picture presents the Martian surface in enhanced color. This processing technique helps reveal variations in surface material or composition that would be less apparent under natural color rendering.
Trajectory and Capture Time
During the imaging sequence the probe moved across Mars from northeast to southwest, corresponding to a right-to-left motion in the field of view. The full acquisition of the four frames took roughly six minutes and occurred as part of the scheduled flyby.
- Imaging date: May 15, 2026
- Instrument: Multispectral imager
- Number of frames: four
- Product: enhanced-color mosaic
The passage served in part to test the camera ahead of the mission's primary destination and to gather scientific data on the Red Planet. The assembled mosaics demonstrate the instrument's capability during a rapid transit past Mars.