NASA is officially preparing to capture and study an asteroid so valuable, it could make every person on the planet a billionaire. The massive space rock — named 16 Psyche — is estimated to be worth around **$10 quintillion**, or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 dollars. Experts say that if its value were divided equally, it would give each person on Earth about **$1.2 billion**.
The asteroid is believed to be made almost entirely of metal, including gold, platinum, iron, and nickel. Scientists think it may be the exposed core of a long-dead planet, giving it a makeup unlike anything humanity has ever seen. According to BBC News, Psyche is located between Mars and Jupiter and is now the target of one of NASA’s most ambitious missions in years.
Asteroid 16 Psyche is worth $10 quintillion. If its wealth were divided equally, each person on Earth would receive $1.2B. — @NASA
NASA’s Psyche mission officially launched last year and is set to arrive at the asteroid in 2029. The spacecraft will orbit and study the giant space rock for nearly two years, gathering data that could rewrite what we know about planetary formation. As CNN reported, this is the first time NASA has sent a mission to explore a world made almost entirely of metal.
Economists and scientists alike are stunned by Psyche’s value. The **total global economy is around $105 trillion** — and this single asteroid is worth almost 100,000 times that amount. Reuters noted that if those metals could somehow be brought back to Earth, they would completely upend global markets and economies overnight.
“This isn’t just space exploration. It’s the largest potential economic discovery in human history.” — @Reuters
NASA has made it clear that the mission is strictly for research — not mining. But private companies are already watching closely. Space mining firms and investors have spent years exploring the possibility of extracting metals from asteroids, and Psyche is considered the most valuable target in existence. “The scale of what’s on Psyche is beyond imagination,” one analyst told The New York Times.
Even a fraction of Psyche’s resources would be worth trillions of dollars. Economists have called it a “once-in-civilization jackpot” — but also warn that flooding Earth with so much metal could cause prices of gold and platinum to collapse. “It would change everything about how our economy works,” financial expert Mark Gordon said to Axios.
If Psyche’s value were split among the global population, everyone would get $1,246,105,919. — @axios
Beyond the money, scientists say Psyche could also reveal how Earth’s own core formed. The asteroid is believed to be the exposed metallic center of an early planet, which could help researchers better understand how planets develop. According to Space.com, it’s the closest thing we have to looking inside Earth’s own core without drilling down thousands of miles.
Social media exploded with reactions to the news, with hashtags like #PsycheMission and #AsteroidRich trending worldwide. While most users joked about becoming billionaires overnight, others raised serious questions about the economic chaos that would follow if anyone ever mined the asteroid.
NASA says its goal is simple: to understand how planets are made. But the staggering value of Psyche means this mission isn’t just about science — it’s also about the future of space and unimaginable wealth floating above our heads.