‘Soul’: NASA’s first mission to a mysterious asteroid made of metal (video)

For the first time, NASA will explore an asteroid “made” of metal. The Psyche mission, named after the distant and mysterious 16 Psyche, launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida on Friday.

NASA spacecraft launched on a six-year journey for the rare metallic-surfaced asteroid, which scientists believe is most likely the core of an early planet and may resemble the cores of the rocky planets in our solar system, such as Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury.

The asteroid lies in the outer part of the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and is one of the few celestial bodies that has never been explored – either up close or through a telescope.

This asteroid probably consists of nickel-iron metal mixed with rock.

Studying Psyche could provide humanity with a unique window into the violent history of planetary collisions and the creation of planets like Earth.

🚀🎸🤘 Let’s mosh!

A @SpaceX Falcon Heavy has launched the #MissiontoPsyche spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A. The spacecraft has begun its journey to Psyche, the metal-rich asteroid located between Mars and Jupiter. pic.twitter.com/P8xd6dPwG2

— NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) October 13, 2023

NASA’s spacecraft is now headed for Mars, where it is expected to arrive in May 2026.

There it will use the planet’s gravity to enter Psyche’s orbit. The mission is expected to reach the asteroid in late July 2029 and spend 26 months in orbit around it to map its surface.