A close flyby past the Red Planet on Friday will send NASA’s Psyche mission on its way towards its final destination. Mars is looming large as seen from the perspective of NASA’s inbound Psyche mission. Launched on October 13th 2023 on the first interplanetary exploration flight for a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the mission is headed towards the enigmatic ‘metal asteroid’ 16 Psyche. The worldlet seems to be a remnant, metal-rich core of a world that never was. Exploration of 16 Psyche is top priority, as it could unlock secrets of planetary formation and the early history of the solar system. An artist's conception of the mission's arrival at 16 Psyche. Credit: NASA/JPL. Psyche utilizes an innovative, inert xenon-gas fueled solar-electric propulsion system. This week’s Mars flyby will give it a free kick outbound to its target. "We are now exactly on target for the flyby," says Sarah Bairstow (NASA-JPL) in a recent mission post .…