Recently, a new study used the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain a more detailed image of one of the most valuable asteroids that we know of.
This asteroid is in the sights of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which together with Space X, the company of billionaire Elon Musk, plan an exploration mission for the year 2022.
But what is it that makes this asteroid so valuable?
“Golden” asteroid
It is a giant rock found within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Various observations indicate that Psyche is made mainly of metals and it is thought that it was part of the nucleus of a planet that failed in its formation.
If so, this could give us more information about how the Earth’s nucleus and that of other planets formed.
We have seen other meteorites that are mostly metallic, but what makes Psyche unique is that it may be made entirely of iron and nickel“says Tracy Becker, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas, U.S.
Becker is part of the most recent investigation of the surface of Psyche.
It is believed that, in addition to iron and nickel, the asteroid could also contain platinum and gold. All these they are metals with great value.
Some estimates indicate that the total economic value of all Psyche metals could exceed US $ 10,000 quadrillion.
Taking into account that the value of the global economy in 2019 was US $ 142 billion According to the German data portal Statista, Psyche minerals are arguably worth about 70,000 times more.
It’s no wonder that Psyche is also known as “the golden asteroid.”