NASA and SpaceX teamed up to develop an uncrewed spacecraft to explore 16 Psyche by 2022. The space object is also known as the Golden Asteroid because it contains metals worth lots of money. The mission will reach the metal-rich asteroid that orbits our host star between Jupiter and Mars.
Psyche is estimated to be 120 miles wide and is made of the uncovered nickel-iron core of another planet. It is loaded with iron, heaps of platinum, and nickel. The space object’s worth is estimated to value almost £8,000-quadrillion (eight followed by 18 zeroes). Such a thing means that if it were carried back to our planet, it would affect the commodity prices and cause the global economy to fall.
NASA and SpaceX to study 16 Psyche Golden Asteroid
If NASA and SpaceX’s plans go well, the mission will start in the summer of 2022, from Cape Canaveral. The space agencies, however, intend to explore the planet for scientific reasons, not for performing any mining processes. So, the Psyche probe will be equipped with equipment to study the probe’s structure.
NASA considers 16 Psyche a survivor of extreme hit-and-run crashes between planets, which were prevalent when the solar system was developing. Such a thing means that it could show us how our planet’s center and the cores of the other terrestrials planets were made.
It’s anticipated the probe will reach the block of metal in 2026. Scientists know Psyche for a while now, but a veteran miner recently discussed its possible way of bringing wreak on our planet’s economy. Scott Moore from EuroSun Mining stated that the total amount of gold in Psyche threatens to put the gold industry into anarchy.
“The ‘Titans of Gold’ now control hundreds of the best-producing properties around the world. But the four to five million ounces of gold they bring to the market every year pales in comparison to the conquests available in space,” explained Moore. Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries each aim for the 2011 UW158 asteroid, which s worth up to £4,5 trillion.
