NASA “Psyche Asteroid Mission.”

Psyche Asteroid Mission: NASA has provided a schedule for their mission to recover valuable metals from the 16 Psyche asteroid. Earlier this year, they announced their plans to visit this distant asteroid, which is believed to contain iron, nickel, and gold valued at an astonishing $10,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Picture Credit: NASA

In July, NASA stated that there were “less than 100 days until the mission was set to begin.” They mentioned that teams of engineers and technicians were working diligently to prepare the orbiter for a journey of 2.5 billion miles to reach a metal-rich asteroid, which could provide insights into planetary cores and the formation of planets.On October 13, a spacecraft was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and it is currently en route to the asteroid. This spacecraft, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, was originally scheduled to launch last year but faced delays due to software issues.

NASA has released a timeline for when we can anticipate the spacecraft to return from the asteroid, which scientists believe to be the largest among the many metal-rich asteroids in our solar system.

Picture credit: Aubery Gemignani/ NASA via Getty images

The spacecraft is embarking on a journey of 2.2 billion miles (3.5 billion km) through space and is projected to reach the asteroid in August 2029. Over the next 3-4 months, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will thoroughly inspect the spacecraft’s systems and continually evaluate its readiness for deep space travel.

After reaching the asteroid situated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the spacecraft will begin orbiting Psyche for a little over two years. During this time, it will employ a set of carefully chosen instruments to measure the asteroid’s gravity, magnetic properties, and composition.

The spacecraft is scheduled to approach Mars in May 2026 to receive a slight gravitational assist, which will enhance its momentum. This will set the spacecraft on a course for its ultimate destination, with the mission anticipated to conclude in November 2031.

Image credit: Getty stock photo

NASA has determined that the asteroid has impressive dimensions, measuring 173 miles (280 km) in diameter and 144 miles (232 km) in length, with a surface area of 64,000 square miles (165,800 square km). This massive size is a primary motivation behind NASA’s decision to pursue this mission.Nicola Fox, the associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate, has emphasized that Psyche’s status as the largest asteroid makes it a particularly compelling target for exploration. Smaller asteroids are more likely to have undergone changes due to impacts, while a large asteroid like Psyche is anticipated to offer a glimpse into a relatively unaltered celestial body