Contact – Editorial Team:
Astronomers are preparing to explore an asteroid believed to be so rich in precious metals that it could make everyone a billionaire if its precious cargo were transported to our planet.
And the US space agency “NASA” had revealed in 2017 an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt, and the asteroid is about 370 million km from Earth.
NASA named the asteroid Psyche, and it consists of various metals, most notably iron, nickel, and a number of other rare metals, including gold, platinum, and copper.
The agency estimated the value of the precious metals that make up the asteroid at about 10 thousand quadrillion dollars (a quadrillion equals approximately one million billion).
But since the precious asteroid is located 300 million miles from Earth, and orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter, its exploration has been impossible until now, according to the Daily Star newspaper.
Launching a spacecraft in October
However, “NASA” has developed a spacecraft that will head towards the asteroid, and it is expected to be launched on October 5.
Scientists hope the mission will help them better understand how planets form.
“What makes Psyche unique is that it appears to be the exposed iron-nickel core of an ancient planet, one of the building blocks of our solar system,” says the “NASA” website.
In a statement about the launch, the agency said: “With less than 100 days to go before its launch, teams of engineers and technicians are working almost around the clock to make sure the probe is ready for the 2.5 billion-mile journey to a mineral-rich asteroid that might tell us more about planetary cores and how they form.”
All necessary tests completed
The six-year mission was supposed to take place last year, but was delayed because the spacecraft wasn’t ready.
Experts completed all necessary tests of the spacecraft and its capabilities to ensure smooth operation.
The rocket is scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 10:38 a.m. EST (3:38 p.m. GMT) on a Falcon Heavy rocket, owned by SPX, before using solar energy to propel itself past Mars.
The rover will then orbit the asteroid for 26 months, during which it will take pictures of the space gold mine rock and collect data about it.
