The $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 Asteroid NASA Is capturing Could Make Everyone On Earth A Billionaire

An asteroid valued at a staggering $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 has sparked imaginations with its potential to make every person on Earth a billionaire—at least hypothetically.

Last month, NASA launched a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on a mission to study 16 Psyche, one of the largest M-type asteroids discovered in space so far.

The spacecraft is set to embark on an incredible journey, traveling 2.2 billion miles (3.5 billion km) to reach the asteroid, which lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Unlike the majority of asteroids, which are typically composed of rock and ice, this particular asteroid stands out due to its unusual composition.

16 Psyche is made up primarily of valuable metals, which explains its extraordinary estimated worth and its potential to impact the global economy.

The asteroid contains elements like platinum and palladium, which are crucial for producing cars and electronic devices on Earth.

Of the nine metal-rich asteroids known to exist in our solar system, 16 Psyche is the largest, which is why it has drawn NASA’s attention for further investigation.

The space agency estimates that this uniquely shaped asteroid, spanning an estimated surface area of 64,000 square miles (165,800 square kilometers), is composed of 30 to 60 percent metal.

Additionally, scientists believe it might contain the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, offering a rare glimpse into the fundamental building blocks of the solar system.

If, in an alternate scenario, 16 Psyche were somehow brought back to Earth and its materials distributed for economic gain, every individual could theoretically become a billionaire.

Let’s break down the math. If the asteroid’s materials truly hold a value of $10 trillion dollars and that wealth were split evenly among all people alive today, the results would be astonishing.

With approximately 8.025 billion people on Earth as of 2023, the calculations certainly seem promising at first glance.

A model of the Psyche 16 asteroid CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Dividing $10 trillion by the current population means each person would hypothetically receive $1,246,105,919.

As dreamy as that might sound, there are major complications with this scenario—primarily, it would lead to the collapse of the global economy.

Even with an individual windfall of $1.25 billion, you wouldn’t come close to matching the wealth of today’s richest individuals.

Take Elon Musk, for instance. As the wealthiest person on the planet, his net worth significantly surpasses this hypothetical payout.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk would still be 250 times richer than all of us Chesnot/Getty Images

Musk’s fortune is valued at an incredible $313.9 billion, which is more than 250 times the payout each person would receive from the asteroid's theoretical worth.

Of course, NASA isn’t heading to 16 Psyche to mine its metals. Instead, the mission is focused on uncovering the secrets of planetary cores and learning more about how planets are formed.

It’s worth noting that the SpaceX rocket carrying the spacecraft won’t reach the asteroid until July 2029, so there’s still a long wait ahead before any discoveries are made.

NASA explains on its Psyche mission webpage: "Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets."

One of the primary goals of the mission is to determine whether 16 Psyche truly is the core of a planetesimal—a remnant rock from the very early days of our solar system’s formation.