This artist’s concept shows an example of a gravitational assist maneuver, used by spacecraft to travel through the solar system. In this example, the spacecraft flies close by Mars, then by Jupiter, ...

The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission captured this view of Mercury on 1 October 2021 as the spacecraft flew past the planet for a gravity assist manoeuvre. The image was taken at 23:44:12 ...

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft captured an image of the Earth on Oct 15, 2022, and an image of the Earth and the Moon on Oct. 13 as a part of an instrument calibration sequence. NASA’s Lucy spacecraft ...

On March 1, NASA's Europa Clipper will streak just 550 miles (884 kilometers) above the surface of Mars for what's known as a ...

NASA’s Europa Clipper is about to use Mars’ gravitational pull to slingshot itself as it makes its way to Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon later this week. The craft launched from the agency’s Kennedy ...

A 43-minute burn set the stage for JUICE's upcoming 'double gravity assist' to propel it towards Jupiter. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how ...

There is this idea in the space exploration industry that planets and moons can easily be used to make course corrections and accelerate spacecraft. In official speak, that's called gravity assist ...

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to return to Earth in March. Photo by MIguel J. Rodriguez CarrilloAFP via Getty Images March will bring both celestial and human ...

Mission engineers will track NASA's Lucy spacecraft nonstop as it prepares to swoop near Earth on Oct. 16 to use this planet's gravity to set itself on a course toward the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.