The Psyche mission, named after the asteroid 16 Psyche, which the spacecraft will explore, was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 10:19 a.m. Friday.
Asteroid 16 Psyche is estimated to be worth $10,000 quadrillion. The asteroid was originally discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1852 and has been a target of observations since.
The craft is heading to a metal world - an asteroid called 16 Psyche - which telescopic observations suggest is made from up to 60% iron and nickel. Scientists think it may be the remnant core of ...