Psyche spacecraft tests all instruments on Mars before 2029 asteroid rendezvous

Somewhere between Earth and a metallic world that may be the exposed heart of a dead planet, NASA's Psyche spacecraft paused at Mars in May — not to study it, but to rehearse. The gravity assist that bent the probe's path toward the asteroid belt also offered a rare chance to test instruments against a real planetary body, confirming that spectrometers, magnetometers, and cameras are ready for the science that awaits in 2029. It is a quiet milestone in the long patience of deep space exploration: proof that the tools work, even before the true subject has come into view.