It could change many lives overnight

An asteroid worth an insane $10 quintillion could have dramatic consequences if it’s captured.

NASA has set its sights on what might be the most valuable object in the solar system, though their goals are said to be primarily scientific rather than commercial.

In 2023, the space agency launched its mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to retrieve the valuable asteroid named 16 Psyche.

Traveling at speeds of approximately 84,000 mph, the mission is headed for the asteroid located three times Earth’s distance from the Sun, with arrival scheduled for August 2029.

A model of 16 Psyche at the Kennedy Space Center (CHANDAN KHANNA/Contributor/Getty)

What makes this 16 Psyche so valuable?

Located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, this metallic sphere is thought to be packed with precious materials including gold, platinum, iron, nickel, and cobalt. So, it’s no wonder why NASA is keen to get its hands on it.

“Teams of engineers and technicians are working almost around the clock to ensure the orbiter is ready to journey 2.5 billion miles to a metal-rich asteroid that may tell us more about planetary cores and how planets form,” the space agency said in July 2023.

NASA’s current estimates suggest the asteroid consists of ’30 to 60 percent metal,’ with a surface area spanning approximately 64,000 square miles – roughly the size of South Carolina.

How much could 16 Psyche actually be worth?

According to projections reported by Newsweek, the asteroid’s precious metal content could be worth approximately $10 quintillion – that’s 100,000 larger than the world’s $100 trillion global domestic product.

If this could somehow be evenly distributed among Earth’s 8.062 billion inhabitants, every single person would walk away with around $1.2 billion.

So yeah, everyone would basically become a billionaire.

Capturing the rock could have dire consequences for the global economy (zhihao/Getty)

Though this might sound like the ultimate lottery win for most of us (perhaps less exciting for the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos), some social media users aren’t so optimistic about what the expensive rock would do to our economy.

One person commented on Reddit: “That’s enough to make gold worthless.”

While a second wrote: “And when everyone is a billionaire, no one is.”

A third Reddit user pointed out: “All that gold would belong to who ever can mine it first. It just like saying there is quintillion dollars of oil on Earth. Is everyone rich? No. It belongs to whomever digs it up.”

Money aside, though, scientists think 16 Psyche’s metals came from the ‘core of a planetesimal,’ which could unlock secrets about how the cores of rocky planets like Earth developed billions of years ago.

Insane reason why the asteroid 16 Psyche is worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000

It’s worth several times more than the world’s economy

Asteroids are nothing more than small, rocky remnants of our solar system that orbit the Sun. Not much value to them.

But asteroid 16 Psyche is blowing our previous knowledge about asteroids as scientists estimate its value to be $10 quintillion.

The James Webb Science Telescope (JWST) discovered the invaluable asteroid it’s said to contain resources that are several times that of the world’s entire economy.

But what you might be wondering is why the asteroid is worth this exorbitant amount of money?

Most asteroids we know are made up of just rock and ice.

NASA have already launched a mission to asteroid 16 Psyche (Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech via NASA)

But 16 Psyche has a unique composition that is valuable to our manmade societies. For example, the asteroid is made up of elements like platinum and palladium, which are essential to cars and electronics here on Earth.

The US space agency NASA estimates that this oddly shaped asteroid, which has a surface area of about 64,000 square miles (165,800 square kilometres), is made up of 30 to 60 percent metal.

And, in fact, it may contain the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet which is one of the building blocks of our solar system.

Using radar and optical observations, scientists have created a 3D model of 16 Psyche, showing the various metal content and colours across its surface. But no one really knows what it looks like or what it’s made of until we can see it up close.

The asteroid orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, at a distance of 235 million to 309 million miles (378 million to 497 million kilometres).

That’s roughly three times farther from the Sun than we are which would take us around six years to reach.

In theory 16 Psyche could make everyone on Earth a billionaire (24K-Production via Getty)

However, the feat isn’t one too large for NASA as they have been interested in this metal-rich asteroid for a while now.

The space agency launched the Psyche mission on October 13, 2023 and is actually en route to the asteroid – expecting to reach its surface by 2029.

The mission will allow the scientists to take a closer look at the asteroid’s makeup and build our current knowledge about the ‘formation of our solar system’s planets,’ according to Live Science.

NASA states on its dedicated Psyche mission webpage: “Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets.”

The investigation also aims to find out whether16 Psyche really is the core of a planetesimal, a rock from the very early days of the solar system.

How asteroid worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 discovered 173 years ago could make everyone on Earth a billionaire

NASA is currently on a mission to visit the lucrative asteroid

An asteroid that is worth $10 quintillion after being discovered 173 years ago could make everyone on Earth a billionaire.

It turns out asteroids aren’t all just space rocks, but instead, some are floating goldmines.

The asteroid in question is known as 16 Psyche, and is estimated to have a value of a whopping $10 quintillion.

This is because of the precious minerals present on the rock.

16 Psyche was first discovered back in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis and orbits the Sun somewhere between Mars and Jupiter.

NASA has embarked on a mission to the asteroid (Maxar /ASU / P. Rubin / NASA / JPL-Caltech)

Since then, the asteroid has been monitored by the James Webb Science Telescope, and it has now been said to contain resources worth several times more than the entire economy of the world.

Unlike most asteroids, which tend to be made up of rock and ice, this one is believed to have a nickel-iron core.

It’s also thought that the rock is made up of elements like platinum and palladium, which are materials that are vital for making electronics and cars.

Scientists have been using radar and optical observations to create a 3D model of the asteroid, although no one will know for certain what it actually looks like until we get a glimpse close up.

However, due to its positioning, it would currently take us six years to reach 16 Psyche.

Still, that’s not to say that it isn’t worth doing – after all, if we’re able to mine the asteroid for its minerals, it could be very lucrative for people on Earth.

And NASA seems to agree, as the space agency launched a mission to the rock back in October 2023 and it’s on its way.

The asteroid is orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter (VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images)

The probe is expected to reach the asteroid by the year 2029.

NASA has a dedicated page on its website to 16 Psyche, where it says: “This intriguing asteroid is now the primary target of NASA’s Psyche mission. The Psyche spacecraft will launch in October 2023 and travel to the asteroid using solar-electric (low-thrust) propulsion, following a Mars flyby and a gravity assist.

“Once in orbit, the spacecraft will map and study Psyche using a multispectral imager, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, a magnetometer, and a radio instrument (for gravity measurement). The mission’s goal is, among other things, to determine whether Psyche is indeed the core of a planetesimal.”

The space agency adds: “Psyche was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852. He named the asteroid for Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul who was born mortal and married Eros (Roman Cupid), the god of Love.

“Because it was the 16th asteroid to be discovered, it is sometimes referred to as 16 Psyche.”

NASA have shared date when $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 asteroid will be brought to Earth

The asteroid could make us all very rich

NASA has revealed the date of when the $10,000 quadrillion asteroid will be brought to Earth.

It could completely change life on Earth as we know it.

It was announced by the space agency last year that it was preparing to send an orbiter to the asteroid, which has been named 16 Psyche.

NASA plan to find out more about the asteroid (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

The rock contains some precious materials which include gold, iron and nickel.

In a statement, NASA said: “Teams of engineers and technicians are working almost around the clock to ensure the orbiter is ready to journey 2.5 billion miles to a metal-rich asteroid that may tell us more about planetary cores and how planets form.”

And the agency stuck to its word, launching a spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in October 2023.

Since its launch, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have dedicated the past few months to checking over the spacecraft’s system and consistently assessing whether it is still fit to travel into deep space.

The spacecraft is still on its 2.5 billion-mile journey to the asteroid, which is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

And now, NASA has been able to share a timeline of events.

It is set to reach the asteroid in August 2029 where it will spend the following two years orbiting it.

The asteroid is full of precious metals (24K-Production/Getty Images)

During this time, it’ll be measuring its gravity, magnetic properties and its composition using a collection of specially selected instruments.

In May 2026, the orbiter will receive help from Mars in getting a small gravity assist intend to boost its momentum.

This will put the spacecraft in trajectory for its final destination – with the mission planned to reach its conclusion in November 2031.

According to NASA, the asteroid measures a whopping 173 miles (280 km) across and 144 miles (232 km) long, while its surface area is 64,000 square miles (165,800 square km).

And the asteroid’s enormous size is the exact reason behind NASA’s decision to go ahead with the mission.

This is according to Nicola Fox, who is an associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate.

She explained: “Psyche is by far the largest, and that’s why we want to go to it.

“Because the smaller ones are more likely to have been changed by things impacting them, whereas the big one, we think, is going to be completely unchanged.”

Not to mention the sheer value of the metals on the asteroid could make everyone on Earth filthy rich!

How asteroid worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 that was discovered 172 years ago is being captured by NASA

This ancient astroid could be the future of NASA’s budget

There’s still so much that we don’t know about space, but what we are aware of is an asteroid floating around that’s worth an estimated $10,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Stepping foot on the Moon, getting a wooden satellite into space, and surviving on the International Space Station are all achievements that NASA and other space-associated companies will be endlessly proud of.

Breaching the outer confines of Earth will always remain a challenge – at least in the foreseeable future – but what if there was something out there in space that could at least sort out the money side of things?

Well, it just so happens that NASA is aware of 16 Psyche – an asteroid worth a whopping $10 quintillion – and has officially launched a spacecraft in an effort to explore and research the floating ball of rock and metal.

Studying 16 Psyche is one of NASA’s primary goals (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

The reason why this particular random asteroid is worth so much money is due to its construction, which is estimated to be between 30 and 60 percent metal.

It’s argued that within the metal aspects are materials like gold, iron, and nickel, which when amassed in something as large and heavy as this asteroid really start to add up in value.

This potato-shaped asteroid is one of the largest of its kind in the solar system, measuring 173 miles across its widest point with 64,000 square miles of total surface area.

The tricky part then is actually reaching it, which has proven quite troubling considering that humans have been aware of 16 Psyche’s existence for 172 years.

Discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852, this asteroid was originally named after the Greek goddess of the soul, with the ’16’ referring to the fact that it was the 16th asteroid to be discovered.

NASA, with the assistance of a SpaceX rocket, officially launched what they’re calling the Psyche spacecraft in October 2023, and it is travelling towards the asteroid using low-thrust solar-electric propulsion.

What the Psyche spacecraft could look like (Maxar/ASU/P. Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech)

This spacecraft is expected to fly by Mars in May 2026, at which point it’ll use the red planet’s gravitational pull to increase its velocity and eventually be ‘captured’ by the gravity of 16 Psyche in July 2029.

It’ll then use a number of different equipment in order to study the asteroid, with one of its main goals to find out if 16 Psyche is indeed the core of a planetesimal, which is within the current line of thinking.

Outside of it’s significant monetary value, 16 Psyche could also give us information regarding how the Earth’s core – or other similar rocky or terrestrial planets – came to be, which would be a major breakthrough for space-based science.