NASA launches the most ambitious mission so far to Psyche 16, the asteroid that is worth more than the entire Earth’s economy.
NASA Photo: Pexels
NASA has launched a probe that goes to a heavenly body which, if all the assumptions are true, could change the economy of the planet.
It’s called Psyche 16 and it’s not an asteroid. It is between Mars and Jupiter and what is interesting is not its size or orbit, but what is inside it: tons and tons of precious metals.
“The calculation is so ridiculous that it is difficult to process: there is talk of 700 quintilions inside it. Yes, with Q. And if we divide this amount between the world’s population, each of us would receive over a million dollars. But before making plans, better to see what it is.”writes Union Rayo.
Why this asteroid and not another?
Psyche 16 was discovered in the nineteenth century, but it didn’t draw too much attention, because it seemed only one of many others. Until scientists have noticed something strange: while most asteroids are made up of rock or ice, it seems to be entirely of metal. And not any kind of metal. We are talking about iron, nickel, gold, platinum. Basically, a floating mine.
The theory is that it could be the nucleus of a planet that never formed, a kind of spatial skeleton that remained suspended after a cosmic cataclysm. It’s like looking at the heart of a world that never existed.
The mission is already underway
In October 2023, NASA, together with Spacex, launched the mission Psycho. It is not about bringing some gold bullion (it would be), but about studying the ashoid. If everything goes well, the probe will arrive in 2029 and will spend two years blinding around the asteroid, scanning it and analyzing its composition.
In -fact interest exceeds the financial aspect. Knowing the characteristics of this nucleus can help to understand how planets have been formed.
Will this change our lives?
At this moment, no. But it opens the door of the idea that, in the future, space mining exploitation may no longer be crazy. The idea of extracting resources from space has been in question for years, but Psyche has reactivated the interest: for his value, his rarity and because he is there, floating, waiting.
If one day the extraction of materials from this type of asteroid will be able to change many things: from the prices of electronic products to the geopolitical stresses related to resources. And it would reduce the pressure on the planet, which already has enough problems.
More than a mine, a floating laboratory
The James Webb telescope has already noticed Psyche from a distance and has detected oxidation signs. This could mean that once there was water or certain geological processes. Details that, even if they seem technical, are essential to know if this “space mine” is stable and if it really has the estimated value.
The NASA mission, in essence, is also a pilot test. A way to see how to organize an operation in space with scientific objectives … but with a clear commercial potential.
