SpaceX has finally launched NASA's uncrewed Psyche spacecraft aboard its eighth Falcon Heavy flight. According to Interesting Engineering, the liftoff of the asteroid-bound spacecraft occurred at 10:19 a.m. EDT (1419 GMT) Friday from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Space.com reported that during the liftoff, the triple-booster rocket ignited all 27 of its first-stage Merlin engines, which produced up to 5 million pounds of thrust as the spacecraft moved skyward to start its 2.2 billion miles journey to investigate the asteroid 16 Psyche.

Under 2.5 minutes into launch, the side boosters of the Falcon Heavy deactivated their engines, separated from the central core stage, and returned to Florida's Space Coast to conduct simultaneous landings.

Falcon Heavy's core booster followed suit approximately four minutes after liftoff, shutting down its first-stage engines and separating from the rocket's second stage, which was carrying Psyche on the way to orbital escape velocity. 

Psyche is the first NASA mission to launch on a Falcon Heavy. According to Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate, 16 Psyche is the biggest among the "nine metal-rich asteroids known to exist in our solar system." It is reportedly bigger than the state of Connecticut. 

NASA Psyche Mission

According to NASA reports, it will take until 2029 before the Psyche spacecraft reaches the giant metal-rich asteroid orbiting the sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

NASA said one of the primary objectives of the space mission was to explore whether 16 Psyche was a "partial core of a shattered planetesimal" - a tiny world the size of a city or small nation that is the planet's first building block. This potential discovery is paramount to understanding the early planetary evolution.

The asteroid is believed to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an ancient planet, providing invaluable insights into the formation of celestial bodies in our solar system. The Psyche mission also aims to investigate if it could be a potential future space mining site.

Read Also: NASA New Mission: Visit '16 Psyche,' Most Expensive Asteroid in the Solar System

Asteroid 16 Psyche as a Potential Mining Site

Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida, addressed speculations to turn the asteroid into a potential mining site as scientists estimated it could contain hundreds of thousands of quadrillions worth of heavy metals, which is more than the entire global economy.

During his interview with Space.com, the physicist said there were no intentions or plans to mine 16 Psyche and that the current technology cannot do that. 

"Even if we could mine Psyche and bring the materials back to Earth, the asteroid is so far away that the cost of doing so would negate their value," Metzger told the outlet.

According to Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Psyche mission's lead scientist and the director of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Science, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the asteroid could contain $100,000 quadrillions worth of heavy metals. 

But despite the present incapability to do it, some companies, such as AstroForge, have already plans to mine asteroids. According to Space.com, the California-based has raised $13 million to develop and lab-test new technology for processing asteroid material. 

AstroForge cofounder and CEO Matt Gialich told the outlet that the company's mission was "to take asteroid mining out of the realm of sci-fi into the realm of reality."

The company will reportedly pursue an asteroid resource already in high demand, the platinum-group metals (PGMs) like palladium, which is widely used in various industries. Palladium is a key component in catalytic converters that helps lessen toxic emissions from vehicles.

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