The Psyche asteroid research probe has been launched, which will reach a rare metal-covered asteroid in six years, MTI reports.
Most asteroids are made of some type of rock or have an icy structure. This will be the first time that a spacecraft has been able to study a metal-covered asteroid. Scientists think so
The asteroid is part of the core of an early planet and can therefore provide an image of the inaccessible core of Earth and other rocky planets.
The spacecraft was launched on a rocket from the private space company SpaceX. Psyche, named after the asteroid, will reach the giant potato-like body in 2029. The asteroid was discovered in 1852 and is named after the goddess of the soul in Greek mythology.
According to astronomers’ measurements, the asteroid’s maximum width is 232 km, and its length is 280 km. It is also believed to contain iron, nickel and other minerals such as precious metals. The spacecraft will travel a distance of 3.6 billion kilometers to reach it.
According to Lindy Elkins Tanton, a senior scientist at the University of Arizona, the asteroid could be a building block for the formation of planets in the solar system that were born 4.5 billion years ago, and
By examining them, we can get an answer about how life arose on Earth, or what makes our planet habitable.
On Earth, the planet’s iron core is responsible for the magnetic field that protects our atmosphere and makes life possible.
A $1.2 billion space mission commissioned by NASA and led by the University of Arizona will head to the asteroid.
The solar-powered probe will pass near Mars in 2026, enhanced by its gravity, and reach its destination three years later. It will attempt to orbit Psyche, where it will continue to orbit until at least 2031.
