NASA is preparing to launch a new space probe today, at 2:16 PM Belgian time, to study the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche. The mission will depart from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. After a journey of approximately 3.5 billion kilometers, the spacecraft will reach its destination in 2029.
The target is an asteroid called 16 Psyche, which has a diameter of 279 kilometers, and floats in the asteroid belt of our solar system between Mars and Jupiter. What makes this space rock, discovered in 1852, so special is the fact that, unlike other asteroids, it consists mainly of metal instead of rock and ice. This could teach scientists something about how rocky planets like Earth formed in our solar system. They suspect that 16 Psyche are the remains of an object that failed to develop into a full-fledged planet. A metal-rich core that has lost its rocky exterior and is now floating around in the asteroid belt.
Although the asteroid is extremely valuable due to the large amounts of iron, nickel and various precious metals (about 9,000,000,000,000,000,000 euros), it is not the intention to mine 16 Psyche. According to NASA, there are a number of reasons for this. For example, the asteroid can yield such an astronomical amount if the thing is completely brought to Earth, chopped into pieces and processed. This is currently impossible.