Judge to weigh Democrats’ bid to block Trump’s executive order on voting

2026-05-14 16:01:43 UTC / Reuters

By Jan Wolfe

May 14, 2026 4:01 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a maternal health event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening rules on mail‑in voting faces its first major court test on Thursday ​when a federal judge will hear arguments by Democratic Party ‌lawyers that it is unconstitutional and would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.

A court hearing in Washington is set for 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) in a lawsuit brought by Democratic ​Party leaders seeking to block the March 31 executive order.

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The case ​was brought by plaintiffs including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, ⁠House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the Democratic National Committee.

The litigation has ​been assigned to U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, who ​is likely to issue a written decision at a later date.

Trump, a Republican, has for years pushed the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result ​of widespread voter fraud and has called for tighter rules on voting ​by mail ahead of the November midterm elections, when his party will be trying ‌to ⁠defend its narrow majorities in Congress.

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His executive order directs his administration to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state and to use federal data to help state election officials verify ​who is eligible to ​vote.

It also ⁠requires the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. States ​must also preserve election-related records for five years.

The case ​being ⁠argued on Thursday has been consolidated with two other lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive order brought by voting rights groups.

A similar lawsuit brought by a coalition ⁠of Democratic ​state attorneys is pending before a federal ​judge in Boston.

The Justice Department has argued that the lawsuits are “premature” because federal agencies have ​not yet implemented Trump’s executive order.

Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CENTCOM chief tells senators Iran’s hold on Strait of Hormuz has weakened, but threats remain

May 14, 2026 / 2:14 PM EDT / CBS News

By Eleanor Watson

Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon.

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Washington— The head of U.S. forces in the Middle East told senators that the bombing campaign against Iran, named Operation Epic Fury, achieved all of its objectives to “significantly degrade” the country’s military capabilities, even as Tehran continues to claim control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Admiral Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee that U.S. forces have destroyed more than 90% of Iran’s inventory of 8,000 naval mines to prevent their deployment in the strait. But he acknowledged Iran still maintains some capabilities to threaten ships.

“The Iranian ability to stop commerce has been dramatically degraded through the straits, but their voice is very loud, and those threats are clearly heard by the merchant industry and the insurance industry,” Cooper said Thursday.

In response to questions from senators of both parties, Cooper said the U.S. has options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz militarily but said that is a decision for policymakers, acknowledging that the crucial waterway is at the center of ongoing negotiations aimed at a long-term peace deal.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, testifies at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 2026. Win McNamee / Getty Images

When asked how long the conflict is expected to continue, Cooper pointed out the ceasefire reached on April 7 remains in effect, despite the ongoing U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports and exchanges of fire last week. The administration has told Congress that “hostilities” with Iran have “terminated.”

In his written testimony, Cooper said Operation Epic Fury had damaged or destroyed more than 85% of Iran’s ballistic missile, drone and naval industrial base through more than 1,450 strikes on weapons-manufacturing facilities. He told senators that it would take Iran “a generation” to rebuild its navy and years for its drone and missile production to recover.

He said recent reporting that Iran retains about 70% of its ballistic missile inventory is inaccurate, but declined to get into specifics because details are classified. CBS News reported in April that Iran retained at least half of its ballistic missiles and launchers.

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Cooper said that between November and December 2025, U.S. Central Command started “to see an increase in Iran’s capability and intent” to produce more ballistic missiles. He said this presented “a very significant risk” that factored into the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia noted that the Senate Armed Services Committee has not seen the opinion produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that justified the president’s authority to launch strikes against Iran.

“We’re being asked to fund a $1.5 trillion budget, but our request of the DOJ to see the OLC opinion justifying this war — they have refused to allow members of the Armed Services Committee to see it,” Kaine said. “If they will not allow us to see the legal rationale for the war, what are they hiding?”

GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the panel’s chairman, noted that Cooper would not be the person to provide that opinion since he is not a policymaker.

Cooper deflected questions from Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan on whether China and Russia are giving intelligence to Iran, saying they should discuss the matter in a classified setting.

Cooper said the military’s investigation into a strike that hit an Iranian girls’ school at the beginning of the bombing campaign, killing about 150 people, is still ongoing. CBS News reported in early March that a preliminary U.S. assessment suggested that the U.S. was “likely” responsible for the deadly attack but did not intentionally target the school and may have hit it in error.

The admiral told senators he was “passionate” about preventing civilian harm and invited them to Central Command’s headquarters in Tampa to see how the command’s targeting works.

Cooper was also asked about a report in the New York Times in April that said 22 schools had been hit since the start of the conflict. He said there was no indication the report was accurate, but when pressed by Democratic Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, he said the military has not investigated those incidents. He said he would work on a report on whether hospitals or schools had been destroyed in U.S. military strikes.

By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams

Updated May 14, 2026, 1:44 PM ET

PUBLISHED May 14, 2026, 12:37 PM ET

US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks attends a roundtable discussion with local ranchers and employees from US Customs and Border Protection, in Brownsville, Texas, on January 7, 2026.

Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images/File

US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks told CNN Thursday he was stepping down from his post, effective immediately, marking the latest senior immigration official to leave the Department of Homeland Security since Secretary Markwayne Mullin stepped into the top job.

In a statement, Banks said he was “proud” of his time at Border Patrol and was leaving the job now with “the most secure border” in the nation’s history.

“After almost 37 years of public service now is my time to enjoy family and life,” he said.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, whose agency includes Border Patrol, thanked Banks in a statement for “his decades of service to this country.”

Banks was s a long time Border Patrol agent who previously served as Texas’ border czar.

In that post, he worked as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s adviser during Operation Lone Star, the state’s response to what Texas officials described as a border crisis under President Joe Biden’s administration.

That operation, and Banks’ role in it, won praise from President Donald Trump, who appointed Banks as the top Border Patrol official in January 2025.

During Banks’ tenure, a subordinate Border Patrol official, Gregory Bovino, took the helm of the administration’s immigration crackdown in the interior of the United States, with the approval of then-Secretary Kristi Noem. Bovino’s aggressive style put him at odds with some agents in the federal agency.

Banks’ departure marks the third high-profile turnover within the Department of Homeland Security in two months.

Trump fired the agency’s secretary, Kristi Noem, in March following months of controversies surrounding federal spending on exorbitant advertising campaigns under her tenure, along with the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Mullin was later tapped to replace Noem and has since assumed the post of head of DHS, which is the department at the center of Trump’s immigration agenda.

Last month, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons announced he was stepping away from his position, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. His last day will be May 31.

DHS said David Venturella, a longtime immigration official and former private prison firm executive, will replace Lyons.

This article has been updated with additional developments.

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Trump’s ‘financial situation’ gaffe underscores his Iran war problem

May 14, 2026, 3:38 PM ET / CNN

Analysis by Aaron Blake

Donald Trump The Middle East

President Donald Trump faces members of the press as he boards Air Force One for a trip to China, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on May 12.

Evan Vucci/Reuters

President Donald Trump has governed throughout his second term like a man who wields unconstrained power. It tends to prompt frustrations for him later when the approach runs headlong into reality.

His gaffe this week, when he said he didn’t consider Americans’ finances while trying to resolve the Iran war, epitomizes the problem.

When asked Tuesday how much Americans’ economic concerns were motivating his push for a peace deal, Trump responded: “Not even a little bit.”

“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran [is] they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”

Trump is no stranger to dismissive comments about the economic plight of everyday Americans. But this suggested he just didn’t care — as if it wasn’t even on his radar.

That risks sounding particularly tone-deaf given how bad the president’s economic numbers are and how much Americans already perceive him to be neglecting the issue.

Predictably, Republicans quickly tried to explain away Trump’s comments.

While retiring Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told CNN that Trump’s comments were “concerning,” others have sought to downplay them.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told CNN that it was “just a sort of a throwaway line.” Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming declined to comment to a MeidasTouch reporter, “mostly because I think he actually does care.”

Others like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas fell back on the idea that the “context” of Trump’s comment might not be so bad. Nehls also encouraged people to “relax.”

And then there was Vice President JD Vance. He claimed Wednesday that Trump’s comments had been misrepresented. But he also sounded a much more conciliatory, feel-your-pain note on the economy than Trump did.

He said twice that the administration cares about Americans’ finances. He swore three times that it was focused on the issue. He also acknowledged “we have a lot of work to do” on delivering prosperity and acknowledged “the inflation number last month was not great.”

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press conference on anti-fraud initiatives at the Eisenhower Executive Office building in Washington, DC, on May 13.

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

It was the kind of nuanced response that plenty in Trump’s political operation probably wish the president himself had delivered.

But, of course, this is Trump.

There is a plausible explanation for his dismissiveness toward the financial impacts of the war: that he’d simply like to pretend they don’t exist.

The financial effects are, after all, the main constraint on him holding out for a peace deal with Iran that meets all his demands. Higher gas prices especially are the primary cost of the war that Americans are feeling, especially given the US military strategy has kept casualties low on its side.

And crucially, those domestic repercussions are something that his foe, the Iranian government, doesn’t have to worry about as much. While the war and the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz are unquestionably causing more damage to Iran’s economy than the United States’, the authoritarian government in Tehran simply isn’t as responsive to complaints of its citizens.

That, like many aspects of this conflict, creates a kind of asymmetric warfare where the opposition has a much larger built-in pain tolerance — and more leverage because of it.

There’s even a valid argument that this is the kind of thing Trump should be telegraphing to Iran. By saying that he’s not considering Americans’ economic pain, he’s signaling that he’s not overly anxious to cut a deal to end the war. In short, that he’ll hold out for his demands.

(Of course, there are already myriad other data points to suggest Trump is actually quite anxious for a deal to bring the war to an end.)

But by speaking dismissively about Americans’ finances, Trump could actually be hurting his leverage.

The war is already unpopular, and Trump’s approval rating on the economy keeps dropping. To the extent his dismissiveness exacerbates both, it could increase the pressure on the US president to get out of the war. Not to mention, if the war drags on past the midterms and Democrats gain control of the House, Trump will have to deal with a less cooperative Congress.

And there is reason to believe his comments could hurt Republicans come November. Polls, after all, show Americans writ large simply don’t see the point of the war and don’t view it as worth the economic costs. Another shows three-quarters of them think Trump hasn’t paid enough attention to Americans’ cost of living.

And no issue looms larger over this election — and most elections — like the economy.

There was an easy way for Trump to prevent this, though: Build the case for the war ahead of time. Lay out discreet and consistent goals and make sure the American people were bought-in and ready to sacrifice personally for the greater good.

But Trump didn’t even try to make that case.

He instead launched the war suddenly and then spent weeks backfilling the justifications for what he had just done.

It was almost like he didn’t even think he had to explain himself to the American people and do the legwork to build support — as if that were an unnecessary nuisance.

That sensibility existed on Day One of his second term and the day the Iran war began, and it persists to this day.

And it’s still doing him and the Republican Party no favors.

Why are so many U.S. CEOs in China with Trump, and what do they want?

May 14, 2026 / 3:02 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. CEOs traveling with President Trump to China that it will open further to American business, a key goal for corporate leaders eager to expand their presence in the world’s second-largest economy.

Xi spoke with the delegation of chief executives, which includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, according to a statement on Thursday from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The executives — whose combined net worth approaches $1 trillion — lead companies with major interests in China, despite years of trade disputes between the world’s two largest economies.

China’s pledge to welcome more foreign business comes after years of escalating trade tensions with the U.S., including the Trump administration’s move last year to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to as much as 125% after Mr. Trump said China “was taking us for a ride.”

Yet U.S. companies continue to see China’s expanding middle class and massive consumer base as critical growth markets, even as it has become harder to wring profits from financially struggling consumers in the U.S. and other developed economies.

The White House said that several American business leaders participated in a portion of a broader meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials.

“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment,” a White House official said in a readout of the meeting.

The CEOs accompanying Mr. Trump include:

• Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm

• Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

• Lawrence Culp Jr., CEO of GE Aerospace

• Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock

• Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup

• Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia

• Ryan McInerney, CEO of Visa
• Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology

• Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard
• Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX

• Kelly Ortberg, CEO of Boeing

• Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone

• Brian Sikes, CEO of Cargill

• David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs

• Jacob Thaysen, CEO of Illumina

Conciliatory measures

Based on the CEOs attending the talks, China could take several steps to ease economic tensions with the U.S., according to analysts with Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy.

“We continue to expect the two sides to announce increased trade and tariff adjustments in non-sensitive sectors, including Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products (including beef), Boeing aircraft and energy,” they said in a report.

China could also ease restrictions on foreign financial services firms, lower antitrust barriers or, for Tesla, give the electric car maker the green light to roll out fully autonomous driving, according to Eurasia Group.

The trip is already paying dividends for some of the CEOs accompanying Mr. Trump, including Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. On Thursday, the president told Fox News host Sean Hannity that China had agreed to buy 200 Boeing 737 Max jets, up from an earlier deal for 50 aircraft.

Mr. Trump said that Xi has also agreed to buy more soybeans, a boon for U.S. farmers who have been hurt by China’s retaliatory decision a year ago to halt purchases of the key agricultural export.

Historical precedent

There is ample historical precedent for business leaders accompanying U.S. presidents on high-stakes overseas trips or trade missions.

During President Obama’s 2015 visit to India, for example, dozens of U.S. CEOs attended a summit to expand bilateral trade and investment. In 2000, President Bill Clinton brought leading U.S. executives to India, including representatives from General Motors, IBM, and Microsoft.

When Mr. Trump visited China in 2017, he was joined by the leaders of major U.S. banks, energy companies and technology firms.

“It’s not unusual for CEOs to travel with the president, and I think it speaks to the fact that the Chinese-U.S. relationship is highly dependent on the countries’ business relationship,” Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told CBS News. “We are the two largest economies on the planet, and how we interact with each other largely determines how our economies and the global economy are going to perform.”

The presence of top executives alone could help “open up the lines of communication” between U.S. companies and Chinese officials and business leaders, he added.

“I don’t think there is a very high bar here for success,” Zandi said. “They just have to come away thinking they now have a channel to communicate quickly and they can trust each other.”

Chips and AI

For the U.S. CEOs accompanying Mr. Trump, the broader goals include bolstering sales to Chinese consumers and businesses, as well as ensuring their companies are positioned to win key manufacturing and trade agreements.

Apple, for instance, is the largest smartphone brand in China, although it faces intense competition from local rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi. The Cupertino, California-based company also relies on Chinese partners such as Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, to produce the bulk of its products, which are shipped across the globe.

Semiconductor giant Nvidia is seeking broader access to China’s AI market as U.S. export controls threaten sales of its advanced chips, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said in a report. Such access comes as Chinese firms are racing to develop domestic alternatives.

“What is at stake is not just one trip or one headline but the direction of AI supply chains, the shape of future export controls and the degree to which US chip leadership remains monetizable in China,” Ives said.

Financial products

A number of major U.S. financial companies are also represented on the trade trip, including BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser.

BlackRock is seeking broader access to China’s fast-growing wealth and retirement markets while navigating increasing political scrutiny in both Washington and Beijing. Citigroup, meanwhile, wants broader access to China’s financial markets, partly to help its clients engage in cross-border transactions.

“We have had huge interest and a large number of investors and companies coming to China to understand what’s happening here, as well as the Chinese companies and investors that are looking much more externally now,” Fraser told Bloomberg News last year.

Also among the executives in China with U.S. officials is Jacob Thaysen, the only biotech industry representative on the trip. Thaysen told Bloomberg last year that export restrictions have hurt Illumina’s sales of DNA-sequencing technology in China.

“We want to be a part of China,” Thaysen said, according to the news service.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Tech CEOs in China with Trump
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tech-ceos-in-china-with-trump-make-cases-for-more-economic-partnerships/

Tech CEOs in China with Trump make cases for more economic partnerships

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巴勒斯坦法塔赫举行第八次代表大会 阿巴斯承诺推进改革

2026年5月14日 23:41 / 联合早报

5月14日，巴勒斯坦总统阿巴斯（左二）在约旦河西岸城市拉姆安拉主持召开第八届法塔赫会议，他承诺继续推进巴勒斯坦权力机构内部的改革。 （法新社）

巴勒斯坦民族解放运动（法塔赫）第八次代表大会在约旦河西岸中部城市拉姆安拉开幕，这是法塔赫时隔约10年后再次举行代表大会。

新华社引述巴勒斯坦通讯社的报道说，巴勒斯坦总统、法塔赫主席阿巴斯在星期四（5月14日）的大会上发表演讲时强调，法塔赫始终是巴勒斯坦民族事业的支柱，是民族独立自主决策旗帜的捍卫者，是巴勒斯坦身份和斗争的守护者。新的领导层将带领法塔赫加强更广泛的民族运动，并提升其成果。

阿巴斯指出，加沙地带是巴勒斯坦不可分割的一部分，任何过渡安排都必须是暂时的，且不得影响国家统一或政治和法律主权。国家统一仍然是应对挑战和结束分裂的坚实基础。

据报道，本次大会将选举产生新一届法塔赫革命委员会及法塔赫中央委员会成员。

法塔赫系巴勒斯坦主要政治派别，主张通过谈判解决巴勒斯坦与以色列的问题。2007年，法塔赫与巴勒斯坦伊斯兰抵抗运动（哈马斯）爆发冲突，法塔赫后来实际控制约旦河西岸地区。

伊朗为足球队办盛大世界杯欢送会 足总称美国未发签证

2026年5月14日 23:41 / 联合早报

伊朗足球队在欢送仪式期间，正式发布了世界杯官方球衣。 （路透社）

（德黑兰综合电）伊朗星期三（5月13日）为即将出征由美国、加拿大和墨西哥联办的2026年国际足联世界杯的国家足球队举办了一场盛大的欢送仪式，但伊朗足总主席塔吉（Taj）隔天却表示，美国尚未给他们发放入境签证。

大批伊朗民众聚集在德黑兰革命广场，为即将出征世界杯的国际足球队送行。（路透社）

这场在德黑兰革命广场举行的欢送仪式吸引了大批支持者。由于到场民众人数过多，伊朗队球员一度无法从球队巴士下车。仪式期间，伊朗队正式发布了世界杯官方球衣。

塔吉：最好的欢送仪式

塔吉在接受国营电视台IRIB采访时说：“这是过去四届世界杯中，最好的送行仪式。球员与人民站在一起，人民也与国家的尊严、荣誉和力量站在一起。

“无论比赛结果如何，我们都希望伊朗国旗能在那里升起并得到捍卫。”

自伊朗于今年2月底与美国和以色列爆发战争以来，伊朗是否参加世界杯就成为了大家关注的问题。

伊朗队小组赛三场比赛都安排在美国举行，但截至目前，球员和教练组仍未获得签证。

塔吉说：“明天或后天，我们将与国际足联举行一次决定性的会议。他们必须向我们提供保证，因为签证问题仍然没有得到解决。

“我们还没有收到对方关于哪些人已经获得签证的任何消息。目前还没有签发任何签证。”

塔吉表示，球员们原本预计需要前往土耳其首都安卡拉进行签证程序中的指纹采集。

他说：“球员们必须前往安卡拉采集指纹，但我们正在努力安排在安塔利亚完成，这样就无需前往安卡拉了。”

伊朗国家足球队将前往安塔利亚参加训练营，本月29日将在当地与西非国家冈比亚进行世界杯前的最后一场友谊赛。

伊朗将在世界杯期间驻扎在美国亚利桑那州的图森。他们将于6月15日在洛杉矶迎来世界杯首场比赛，对手是新西兰；随后还将在G组中对阵比利时和埃及。

《联合早报》开设全新IG体育账号@zaobaosg.sports，欢迎关注，获取更多体育资讯！

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NASA spacecraft to fly past Mars this week, on voyage to rare metal asteroid

May 14, 2026 9:50 AM EDT / CBS News

By Emily Mae Czachor

A NASA spacecraft headed toward the asteroid belt will fly past Mars on Friday, aiming to get a boost from the planet’s gravitational field and save some of the propellant it needs to complete the second half of a six-year voyage.

The spacecraft, called Psyche after the rare asteroid it will explore, launched in October 2023. At the time, it set out on a 2.2-billion-mile journey to the metal-rich celestial rock, which scientists believe may hold clues about how the cores of planets like Earth initially formed.

Psyche will travel quite close to Mars, coming within just 2,800 miles of the red planet’s surface at its nearest point, according to NASA. Slingshotting past at about 12,333 miles per hour, the spacecraft “will harness the planet’s gravitational pull to speed up and adjust its trajectory” toward the asteroid, the agency said.

The asteroid that scientists have described as a “metal world” and “one of the more unusual objects in our solar system” sits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA’s explorer is expected to approach and begin orbiting the ultimate target of its mission at the end of 2029.

But the spacecraft will take advantage of the opportunity to observe Mars in the meantime. The team operating it has already released an image of the planet from about 3 million miles away.

This image of Mars was captured by NASA’s Psyche mission on May 3, 2026, about 3 million miles from the planet. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

NASA said the operators plan to use the observations taken during Friday’s flyby to compile a time-lapse of the encounter. One of them, Jim Bell of Arizona State University, said in a statement that Mars may not have its characteristic reddish hue in some of the images, although he still anticipates they’ll be “just plain beautiful.”

The spacecraft will also be able to test a satellite feature that it could eventually use to search for objects in the asteroid Psyche’s orbit.

“Ultimately, though, the only reason for this flyby is to get a little help from Mars to speed us up and tilt our trajectory in the direction of the asteroid Psyche,” said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, a lead investigator on the spacecraft’s operations teams, in another statement. “But if all our instruments are powered up, and we can do important testing and calibration of the science instruments, that would be the icing on the cake.”

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Only a small portion of the objects floating in the asteroid belt are believed to be rich in metal like the asteroid Psyche, which scientists believe contains nickel and iron. They suspect it may be the exposed core of a rocky planet, potentially offering insights the formations and evolutions of planets like our own, according to NASA’s mission overview.

Once in the asteroid’s orbit, NASA’s spacecraft is slated to take pictures of the asteroid’s surface and shed light on its composition, over the course of about two years.

William Harwood contributed to this report.