Psyche asteroid, illustration. This metal-rich asteroid, which measures 26 kilometres wide, is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is the target of the Psyche mission which is planned to launch in August 2022. The asteroid is thought to be the nickel-iron core of an early planet, or protoplanet, that lost its surface in series of violent collisions. This depiction shows large separate areas of metal and rock. Investigating the composition of the asteroid should give insight into the metallic cores of terrestrial planets such as Earth.