• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
NASA discovered asteroid worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 that could make everyone on earth a billionaire

Home> News> Science

Published 17:08 18 Aug 2024 GMT+1

NASA discovered asteroid worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 that could make everyone on earth a billionaire

If you see me in space next week, mind your own business

Brenna Cooper

Brenna Cooper

Have you ever heard of the asteroid that's more expensive than the net worth of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Donald Trump combined?

This may sound like an urban legend, the plot of a crazy space-western movie or even something Han Solo would be looking for in a Star Wars film, but it's actually a very true story.

That's right, it's time to start building your best attempt at a spaceship as there's a major interstellar gold rush waiting to happen.

Advert

The prize? An asteroid worth 10 quintillion US dollars, which is enough to make everyone currently alive a billionaire.

That's one very pricey asteroid. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology)
That's one very pricey asteroid. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology)

The story of the 10 quintillion dollar asteroid

Named 16 Psyche, this floating gold mine was discovered all the way back in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis and named after an ancient Greek goddess.

It's believed that 16 Psyche is filled with metals such as iron, nickel, gold, which is why it has such an extremely high monetary valuation.

Advert

As we said before, the asteroid has an estimated value of 10 quintillion US dollars. Which is still a crazy amount of money if you convert it into British pounds, Euros or Japanese Yen.

There's only one small problem, NASA states that 16 Psyche is 'about three times farther away from the Sun than is Earth' and sits in orbit between Mars and Jupiter.

NASA are currently sending a spacecraft to the asteroid. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
NASA are currently sending a spacecraft to the asteroid. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

To put that in perspective, the farthest astronauts have successfully made it to is the moon. Which means we've still got quite a way to go before mankind masters deep space travel.

This isn't to say that NASA don't have aspirations to reach 16 Psyche, with the US space administration announcing in October 2023 that it had launched an unmanned spacecraft with the goal of reaching 16 Psyche.

Advert

Confirming the news in statement, NASA said: "Teams of engineers and technicians are working almost around the clock to ensure the orbiter is ready to journey 2.5 billion miles to a metal-rich asteroid that may tell us more about planetary cores and how planets form."

How long will it take to reach 16 Psyche?

NASA expects the spacecraft to pass nearby Mars in 2026, before using the planet’s gravity as a slingshot to increase velocity and propel it towards the asteroid.

All being well, it is then expected that the spacecraft will enter 16 Psyche's gravity field by July 2029. At this point the craft will begin orbiting the asteroid until November 2031.

It's estimated that it will cost NASA around $1.2 billion (£930 million) to develop, launch, and operate the Psyche mission.

Are we about to become very rich?

The bad news is that NASA currently has no plans to mine the asteroid, with the currently journey to 16 Psyche being purely to conduct scientific research.

Advert

That's not to say that opportunities to mine the asteroid won't be available in the future, however a source of wealth which is worth more than the entire economy of the planet would certainly raise ethical debates regarding how the resource would be used.

Perhaps until that point, it's better that 16 Psyche remains in space.

Featured Image Credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology / CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Topics: Money, NASA

Brenna Cooper
Brenna Cooper

Brenna Cooper is a journalist at LADbible. She graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in History, followed by an NCTJ accredited masters in Journalism. She began her career as a freelance writer for Digital Spy, where she wrote about all things TV, film and showbiz. Her favourite topics to cover are music, travel and any bizarre pop culture.

X

@_brencoco

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Elon Musk urges release of Epstein files weeks after accusing Trump of being involved in fiery X rant

    Musk made a bombshell claim about his former 'first buddy'

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Arne Slot releases emotional statement after Diogo Jota tragically dies aged 28

    The Liverpool forward and his brother died this morning

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Mum says picture of her son at nursery saved his life after camera flash revealed rare disease

    Laura Davies, from Wales, says she would have 'never known' without the photo

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Brit, 29, who fell ill moments after getting tattoo on hen do fighting for life in coma

    Poppy-Mae Crutchley began to feel unwell 'instantly' after she got the inking in the Spanish party hotspot

    News
  • NASA find asteroid worth £8,000,000,000,000,000,000 that could make everyone on Earth a billionaire
  • Scientists address 'city-destroying' asteroid discovered that could hit Earth
  • NASA engineer shares countries that may be hit by asteroid that could strike Earth in seven years
  • NASA has live feed of 'God of Chaos' asteroid that experts warn could hit Earth very soon