Imagine that there is a Roca floating between Mars and Jupiter With a estimated value of $ 10,000. It is not an exaggeration. Is called Psyche 16 And it is one of the most mysterious and coveted celestial bodies of the solar system. His wealth is so immense that, if he could bring to the earth and distribute, each inhabitant of the planet would become multimillionaire. But that, far from sounding to Utopia, could cause the Total collapse of the global economy.
He asteroidof some 220 kilometers in diameteris mainly composed of Heavy metals: iron, nickel and probably platinum, gold and other rare elements. So much so that, according to estimates, its value would exceed the whole world economy, which is around 100 billion dollars annuallymultiplying it by one hundred million. Literally.
Although it looks like a science fiction script, the NASA He has taken it very seriously. The PSYCHE MISSIONlaunched in October 2023, is already on its way to asteroid. It is expected to arrive in 2029 to orbit it for two years. It does not intend to bring a motorcycle of dust to earthbut understand how this object was formed. Scientists believe that it could be exposed nucleus of a failed planet: A vestige of the first days of the Solar System, when the worlds were still under construction (and destruction).
And there are more: recent observations with the Telescope James Webb They have detected oxidation signs and even water on its surface. This suggests that Psyche is not only a floating mine, but also a natural laboratory of unexpected geological processes.
Psyche 16
The future of capitalism, in Psyche 16
Now, what would happen if one day we managed to exploit your resources? The dream of the Space miningwhich already begins to emerge as an industry of the future, a disturbing scenario poses. Liberate the land market as massive of metals as Psychche would collapse prices drastically collapse. Iron would cease to have value. The same gold, platinum or nickel. The currencies would be affected. The mining powers would collapse. It would be a shaking greater than any recorded stock market.
But it could also be the beginning of a new era: that of a post-terrestrial economybased on outer space resources, with orbital stations, lunar colonies and technology propelled by ionic engines. He future of capitalism may not be on Wall Streetbut floating silent in the cosmic darkness, millions of kilometers away.
