NASA Gets Closer to Uber-Rich Asteroid

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft successfully executed a close flyby of Mars on 15 May, utilising the planet’s gravity to slingshot itself toward its ultimate destination: the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche.

Located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, 16 Psyche is one of the most unique and highly anticipated targets in planetary science.

Spanning roughly 278 kilometres across, the astronomical body stands out because radar observations suggest an incredibly high metal content, primarily consisting of iron, nickel and gold. Scientists believe it may be the exposed, leftover core of an ancient planetesimal that never fully formed. If this theory holds true, studying the asteroid offers a rare, direct window into the interior of rocky worlds like Earth without drilling through multiple layers of rock.

The giant space rock’s extreme concentration of precious minerals has fuelled widespread speculation, with reports suggesting its material worth could exceed the value of the entire global economy. Said worth is calculated to be roughly $1.5 quintillion (18 zeros).

The recent Martian encounter passed within 4610 kilometres of the surface, giving the probe a crucial 1600-kilometre-per-hour speed boost and shifting its orbital plane by one degree without burning onboard propellant. The manoeuvre also served as a full-scale rehearsal to calibrate the spacecraft’s multispectral cameras and spectrometers.

Now traveling via efficient solar-electric propulsion, the probe remains precisely on track to arrive at the multi-quadrillion-dollar metallic world in August 2029.