When it comes to long term speculation, the markets are definitely adverse. Risky long term investments, e.g., cancer research, fusion power, experiments in high energy physics, etc, are the job of government. So are super projects, e.g., Hoover Dam, the Chunnel, Apollo. The free market wants near term profits and manageable risk. Government is there to fund the things that the markets won't.

We're on the same page on that.

The asteroid Psyche is mostly made of iron and nickel, as well as other rare and valuable metals. It's value has been estimated at $10,000 quadrillion. Orders of magnitude more than the entire world economy. Once that gravity well breakthrough you mention occurs, the gold rush for Psyche and asteroids like it will begin. A probe is on the way to Psyche now. Once its properties are confirmed, its mere existence will drive R&D to break the gravity well.