Psyche mission to metal-rich asteroid worth $10000 quadrillion to begin next month

Nasa's Psyche mission is readying for a journey to the metal-rich asteroid of the same name.

The spacecraft will lift off from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 5, with its solar arrays folded into their stowed position and loaded with xenon gas, the fuel for its journey to the asteroid belt.

The asteroid Psyche, measuring roughly 280 kilometers at its widest point, may be part of a core of a planetesimal, an early planetary building block.

Once the spacecraft reaches Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, it will spend about 26 months orbiting the asteroid, gathering images and other data to help scientists understand more about its history and composition.

Experts have estimated the asteroid to be containing metal worth $10,000 quadrillion. (1 quadrillion equals 1,000,000,000,000,000)

The mission's science instruments, including a multispectral imager, magnetometer, and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, are primed to investigate the asteroid. The data collected could provide valuable insights into planetary formation.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the principal investigator for Psyche at Arizona State University, expressed her anticipation for the mission. "These missions take so many people and so much meticulous, rigorous, personally driven work," she said. "We all are, but we are not ecstatic yet. Let’s launch and establish communications – then we can scream, jump, and hug each other!”

The spacecraft will soon be encapsulated in its payload fairing and moved to SpaceX facilities at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center. It is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from the center's Launch Complex 39A at 8:08â€ïpm.

Henry Stone, Psyche's project manager at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said, "It’s getting increasingly real. We are counting the days. The team is more than ready to send this spacecraft off on its journey, and it’s very exciting.”

The spacecraft will use solar electric propulsion to make its six-year journey to the asteroid.

This efficient system works by accelerating and expelling charged atoms of xenon, creating a gentle thrust that propels the spacecraft.