NASA is finalising plans to land on a $10,000 quadrillion (£7,700 quadrillion) asteroid later this year.
Scientists want to study the space rock, which they claim could be worth 10 times Earth's global economy.
The rock, named 16 Psyche, orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter is believed to have a metal-rich centre of iron, nickel, and gold.
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Engineers and technicians at Cape Canaveral, Florida, US are preparing the launch for the rock, known as 16 Psyche.
NASA plans liftoff to reach the rock 310,410,000 miles from Earth is planned for October 5
Currently, the entire global economy is estimated to be roughly $110 trillion.
In a statement, Nasa said: “With less than 100 days to go before its launch, teams of engineers and technicians are working almost around the clock to ensure the orbiter is ready to journey 2.5 billion miles to a metal-rich asteroid that may tell us more about planetary cores and how planets form.”
According to Metro, the mission team recently completed a comprehensive test campaign of the flight software and installed it on the spacecraft.
“The team and I are now counting down the days to launch”, said Henry Stone, Psyche’s project manager at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
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“Our focus has shifted to safely completing the final mechanical closeout of the spacecraft and preparing the team for operations.
“The team is conducting numerous training activities to ensure that we are prepared and ready. It’s a very busy time, but everyone is very excited and looking forward to the launch.”
Psyche is set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Space Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, with additional opportunities scheduled through to 25th October.
It will be the Falcon rocket’s first interplanetary launch.
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