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A Probe Took Incredible Pictures of Mars on Its Way to a Far-Off Asteroid

Psyche’s Mars Flyby Delivered More Than A Gravity Assist

Psyche passed within 4,609 kilometers of Mars.
NASA used the flyby to calibrate cameras and other instruments.
The spacecraft is headed to asteroid Psyche, where it is expected to arrive in 2029.

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DT Editorial Team·May 26, 2026·via wired.com

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NASA's Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world

NASA’s Psyche Gets a Slingshot From Mars and a Rare New View of the Red Planet

Psyche flew 2,864 miles above Mars and gained about 1,000 mph from the gravity assist.
The flyby shifted the spacecraft’s orbital plane and kept it on track for summer 2029 arrival at asteroid 16 Psyche.
The mission also tested science instruments and captured unusual crescent views of Mars.

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DT Editorial Team·May 21, 2026·via arstechnica.com

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Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth

A newly spotted asteroid will pass closer than the moon next week, but not hit Earth

Asteroid 2026JH2 is expected to pass Earth at about 90,917 kilometers on May 18, 2026.
The object is estimated to be 16 to 36 meters wide.
It was discovered only this week, underscoring how hard small asteroids are to detect.
Astronomers say the flyby is close but not an impact threat.

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DT Editorial Team·May 14, 2026·via newscientist.com

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A crescent Mars, as seen from Psyche on approach on May 11th. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Lines Up a Close Mars Flyby Before Heading to 16 Psyche

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will make a close Mars flyby on May 15 at about 4,500 kilometers.
The encounter will provide a gravity assist and let the mission team calibrate onboard instruments.
Psyche is ultimately bound for 16 Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid linked to early planetary formation.

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DT Editorial Team·May 13, 2026·via universetoday.com

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The trail left by the Chelyabinsk fireball from 2013 (Credit : Alex Alishevskikh)

ESA’s MeerKAT Asteroid Guard Has Now Warned of Every Imminent Impactor It Saw Coming

ESA’s MeerKAT Asteroid Guard runs continuously to assess whether newly discovered near-Earth objects pose an impact threat.
The system computes many possible orbits from limited early observations and sends automated alerts when impact probability is significant.
A five-year review says MeerKAT successfully warned of all seven imminent impactors that were discovered before impact during that period.

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DT Editorial Team·May 12, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·May 8, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Apr 30, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Apr 29, 2026·via gizmodo.com

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DT Editorial Team·Apr 20, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Apr 20, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Apr 5, 2026·via space.com

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DT Editorial Team·Apr 1, 2026·via sciencedaily.com

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 30, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 11, 2026·4 min read·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Mar 10, 2026·4 min read·via universetoday.com

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This artist's concept depicts NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor) in deep space (Credit : NASA/JPL Caltech)

NASA’s NEO Surveyor Is Being Built to Find the Asteroids Earth Still Misses

NASA’s NEO Surveyor is being assembled for a planned September 2027 launch.
The mission will detect asteroids by infrared heat rather than reflected light.
It aims to find hazardous near-Earth objects that are dark or hidden near the Sun.

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NASA's model of known NEOs and their trajectories. Credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech

New trajectory method could make asteroid missions less computationally costly

A new paper proposes a less computationally intensive way to plan asteroid trajectories.
The method blends Earth-Sun three-body dynamics near Earth with a two-body model farther out.
Universe Today says the approach can also identify lower-energy routes.

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Astronomer Finds a Shortcut to Mars by Following an Asteroid’s Journey Through Space

A Proposed Mars Shortcut Points to a Faster Deep-Space Route

A study used asteroid 2001 CA21's early orbital predictions to search for a faster Mars route.
The analysis found a favorable launch geometry only in 2031.
One proposed mission profile would complete a Mars round trip in about 153 days.

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Concept art of Lucy visiting a Trojan asteroid. Credit - NASA / Goddard Spaceflight Center / SwRI

Small Jupiter Trojans Are Not Following the Color Pattern Astronomers Expected

Researchers studied small Trojan asteroids using Subaru Telescope’s Suprime-Cam.
The smaller objects did not show the clear red and less-red split seen in larger Trojans.
The result adds a new puzzle to efforts to understand the early solar system.

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A model of the inner Solar System showing the asteroids discovered by Rubin in light teal. Known asteroids are dark blue. Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NSF NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R/NASA/Goddard/ESA/Gaia/DPAC

Rubin Observatory logs 11,000 new asteroids before its main survey even begins

Rubin Observatory identified 11,000 new asteroids before the start of its main LSST campaign.
The early dataset also included 33 previously unknown near-Earth objects, none threatening Earth.
The result suggests Rubin could sharply accelerate Solar System discovery and planetary defense cataloging.

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A view of our solar system with a blue ring in it.

Rubin Observatory’s Early Survey Already Delivers 11,000 New Asteroids

Rubin’s preliminary data has already uncovered over 11,000 unknown asteroids.
The observatory is detecting moving objects at a pace that outstrips traditional surveys.
Scientists see the result as an early preview, not the ceiling.

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NASA’s asteroid Bennu sample reveals a hidden chemical patchwork

Bennu Sample Study Finds Water-Shaped Chemical Zones Inside the Asteroid

Researchers found three distinct chemical region types inside a Bennu sample.
The study suggests water altered Bennu’s parent material in a localized, uneven way.
Organic compounds survived within the altered material, adding to prebiotic chemistry research.

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Study co-author and NASA X-ray scientist, Dr. Scott Eckley, seen loading a Bennu sample into an X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) machine that was used for the study. (Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Bennu’s Boulder Mystery May Be Explained by Deep Cracks Inside Its Rocks

Returned Bennu samples suggest the asteroid’s low thermal inertia is caused by cracks within surface rocks.
Before OSIRIS-REx arrived, thermal data had led researchers to expect more small rock fragments on the surface.
The findings reinforce the value of sample-return missions for validating remote observations.

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This artist's illustration shows asteroids moving in Earth's vicinity. The Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time will detect many more small rocks that are about to strike Earth, giving ample time for follow-up observations with other telescopes. Not only does this mean we'll learn more about the Near Earth Object population, but we will be able to recover more of them. Image Credit: ESA/P.Carril

Rubin Observatory Will Spot Asteroids Hours Before Impact

Rubin Observatory can detect one-meter asteroids hours before Earth impact
3.2-gigapixel camera surveys entire sky every few nights
Will increase known near-Earth object population tenfold
Enables precise impact site predictions for meteorite recovery

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One of the final images of Dimorphos' surface, taken about 2 seconds (6 miles) before impact of the DART mission. Credit - NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

First Direct Evidence Shows Binary Asteroids Share Material

Fan-shaped patterns on Dimorphos confirmed as material deposited from companion asteroid Didymos
Discovery validates theoretical predictions of material exchange in binary asteroid systems
ESA's Hera mission arriving in 2026 will provide detailed follow-up observations

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