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Jump10of 100 · 288 M km from Earth

Psyche: an asteroid that may be metal

Psyche may be the metal core of a half-formed planet. What we know, where the “worth quintillions” figure comes from and when NASA arrives.

NASA illustration of the asteroid Psyche, irregular and metallic-looking; there are no close-up photos yet
Illustration, not a photo Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU · original

Curious facts

  1. Maybe the heart of a failed planet

    It measures about 280 km at its widest and may be made largely of metal from the core of a planetesimal, a half-formed planet. 1

  2. Between 30% and 60% metal

    NASA estimates that metal makes up 30% to 60% of its volume. 1

  3. About that “$10,000 quadrillion”

    The figure came from interviews with the mission’s principal investigator, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, when it was announced in 2017. It is not a NASA estimate, and she herself explains there is no technology to bring Psyche to Earth. 2

  4. The spacecraft arrives in 2029

    NASA’s Psyche spacecraft launched on 13 October 2023, flew past Mars on 15 May 2026 and will reach the asteroid in August 2029. 3

Psyche in Orbit

In the game, Psyche is jump 10 of the route, 288 M km from Earth. Its logbook card says:

Logbook · Jump 10

May be the metal core of a failed planet

I want to try Orbit Already in the group: download

Two steps with the Google account you use on Play: join the group, then download the test. Google Play can take a while, sometimes more than an hour, before it lets you download it; if you see “Item not found”, wait and try again.

What Orbit is like

Sources

  1. NASA, 16 Psyche. science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/16-psyche
  2. CBS Boston, 2020. cbsnews.com/boston/news/psyche-asteroid-worth-size-hubble-massachusetts-iron
  3. NASA JPL, 2026. jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-psyche-mission-aces-mars-flyby-targets-metal-rich-asteroid

Checked between 8 and 11 October 2026.

Illustration, not a photo Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU · original