NASA's Psyche spacecraft took off yesterday on a rocket into space, on a six-year journey whose destination is the eponymous asteroid of a very unique type: it is covered in metal.
Namely, most asteroids are usually rocky or ice-bound, and this is the first exploration of a metal world.
Scientists believe that these could be the destroyed remains of the core of an ancient planet, and their study could shed light on what the inaccessible center of the Earth looks like for humans, but what the cores of other rocky planets look like.
A SpaceX rocket launched a spacecraft into the cloudy morning sky from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Named after a speeding asteroid, Psyche is due to reach the giant potato-shaped object in 2029.
After decades of visiting distant worlds made of rock, ice and gas, NASA decided to explore metal-clad worlds as well.
Of the nine metal-rich asteroids discovered so far, Psyche is the largest, orbiting the sun in the outer part of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, along with millions of other space rocks.
It was discovered in 1852 and was named after the goddess of the soul from Greek mythology.
Bonus video:
