NASA’s Psyche mission will explore the 140-mile-wide asteroid 16 Psyche, a metal-rich body located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Launched on October 13, 2023, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the mission is slated to reach its target in August 2029.

16 Psyche is composed of valuable metals such as nickel, iron, platinum, and palladium, with an estimated mining potential worth a staggering $10,000 quadrillion (1 followed by 19 zeros). If this amount were divided by the projected global population of 8.5 billion in 2029, each individual would receive an eye-popping $1.176 billion.

To put this into local perspective, if we multiply this figure by the forecasted exchange rate of P71.069 per USD in August 2029 (according to Wallet Investor), each Filipino, young and old, could theoretically stand to receive a colossal P83.577 billion.

Discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, 16 Psyche is the 16th asteroid ever identified and is named after the Greek goddess of the soul. With a mass of around 220 billion billion kilograms, it ranks as the 11th most massive known asteroid.

While Psyche’s metals carry astronomical economic value, NASA’s mission is not focused on mining. Mining the asteroid would have a profound impact on the global economy, likely making every human a billionaire and potentially destabilizing financial systems.

Instead, NASA’s mission aims to unravel the asteroid’s geological history, providing crucial insights into the formation of planetary bodies and the early solar system.