NASA to Send SpaceX Falcon Heavy to Observe One of The Largest Asteroids Worth 70,000 Times The Global Economy

NASA will observe one of the largest asteroids worth more than the global economy.

NASA is Sending SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket to 16 Psyche

The US space agency announced that they would launch a rocket to one of the largest asteroids valued 70,000 times the global economy. Space's Falcon Heavy rocket will blast off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in October 2023 to eye the 16 Psyche asteroid.

The rocket will observe the massive asteroid for 21 months. NASA hopes the mission will give them a better understanding of the asteroid's structure and history, Daily Star reported.

The Psyche program will be used to test new deep space communications technology, which NASA believes could transmit information across space more efficiently than the current technology. The launch was delayed for a year due to what NASA described as "critical testing."

What's Asteroid Psyche?

Psyche was named after the Greek goddess. It was discovered by Italian scientist Annibale de Gasparis in 1852.

It is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, with an average diameter of 220 kilometers.

The asteroid alone makes up 1% of the galaxy's asteroid belt, a collection of asteroids orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The belt is made up of 1.9 million asteroids larger than 1 kilometer.

The celestial body appears as a fuzzy bur. However, by observing the light reflected off it, scientists speculate that the asteroid is unusually rich in metal.

Its core is thought to be made of metallic iron, nickel, and gold. It is estimated to be worth $10 quintillion, Forbes reported.

Psyche Mission

The Psyche mission is a journey to the metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. It aims to explore the asteroid Psyche, which is unique due to its exposed nickel-iron core, which is one of the building blocks of our solar system. The mission is part of NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost robotic space missions.

Scientists believe that rocky, terrestrial planets, including Earth, have metallic cores below their mantles and crust. However, since it is difficult to measure Earth's core directly, Psyche could offer a window into the violent history of collisions and accretions that created terrestrial planets.

The mission aims to determine whether Psyche is a core or unmelted material, check the relative age of its surface, figure out whether small metal bodies incorporate the same light elements as expected in the Earth's high-pressure core, learn whether Psyche was formed under more oxidizing or more reducing than Earth's core and characterize Psyche's topography.

Arizona State University leads the mission, while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for mission management, operation, and navigation.

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