A NASA probe is on its way to asteroid made of gold that's worth 100,000,000,000 trillion dollar

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space exploration. However, despite the exciting prospects, mining this celestial body remains a long-term goal due to significant technological and economic hurdles.

Understanding Psyche: More Than Just a Treasure Trove

First discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, Psyche is named after the Greek goddess of the soul. It is one of the most intriguing objects in the asteroid belt, primarily composed of metals, unlike most asteroids that are rocky or icy. This metallic nature is believed to be the remnants of a planetary core, offering scientists a rare opportunity to study a possible precursor to the Earth’s own core. With a surface area of around 64,000 square miles, Psyche is a massive object, and its potential to shed light on the formation of early planets makes it an essential target for exploration.

NASA’s spacecraft, launched from Cape Canaveral, will travel over 2.2 billion miles to reach Psyche. The journey will include a Mars gravity slingshot in 2026, with the mission expected to arrive at the asteroid by 2029. The main goal of this mission is not to mine the asteroid but to study its composition and structure in detail. «The mission is designed to enhance our understanding of how planets formed, especially in the early solar system,» said NASA.

The Promise and Challenges of Asteroid Mining

While the scientific objectives of the Psyche mission are clear, the idea of mining the asteroid for its valuable materials is gaining traction among private companies. Companies like AstroForge