Psyche: Everything we know about Nasa's mission to the 'golden asteroid'

Nasa has launched an new exciting mission - a treasure hunt to the asteroid, Psyche.

The space rock has been nicknamed the 'golden asteroid' as its thought to contain a core of iron, nickel and gold worth a whopping $10,000 quadrillion!

The unmanned spacecraft lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in the US state of Florida on Friday morning local time.

If all goes as planned, the spacecraft will arrive at the asteroid in summer 2029.

Here is everything you need to know about the mission.

What is Psyche?

Somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter lurks a metal asteroid known as 16 Psyche.

It was first discovered in 1852 and, because it was the 16th asteroid to be discovered, it is sometimes referred to as 16 Psyche.

Psyche is a giant and unique piece of space rock that measures around 140 miles (226km) wide.

Nasa believes it contain a core of iron, nickel and gold worth a whopping $10,000 quadrillion!

That's enough money to make everyone on the planet a billionaire!

Why is the Psyche mission exciting for scientists?

This mission is part of Nasa's new low-cost robotic Discovery programme, where the spacecraft will hope to find out more about unexplored asteroids like this one.

Experts think the Psyche asteroid is special and unlike other asteroids, which are typically made up of rock and ice.

They believe Psyche could prove to be the core of an early planet, that has had its outer layers stripped off.

Exploring it, could help Nasa understand more about how other planets formed.

Discovering whether or not the asteroid has a magnetic field would help prove their theory.

What will be onboard the spacecraft?

The Psyche spacecraft will house a flight computer, telecommunications and an onboard camera to photograph the surface of the asteroid.

It will also carry a special magnetometer, which will be able to detect if it does indeed have a magnetic field.

As well as these main instruments on board which will help capture images and data that can be analysed back on Earth, it's also carrying one other fancy piece of equipment... a high-data-rate laser - space broadband to you and me!

That's because developing communications deeper into space will help Nasa establish a connection between Earth and Mars.

What happens next?

Nasa previously planned the launch of this mission for August 2022, but a series of delays including software malfunctions meant the space agency had to put the launch date back.

This means that the spacecraft now won't reach its target for nearly six years - because the asteroid is so far away.

If all goes as planned, asteroid Psyche's gravity will capture the spacecraft in late July 2029, and Psyche will begin its mission the following month.

It's hoped the craft will spend about two years orbiting the asteroid to take pictures, map the surface, and gather data.