Can we mine minerals from asteriods? First attempt this week
What's the story
AstroForge, a US-based private aerospace company, is gearing up for a commercial asteroid mining mission.
The operation will be conducted using Odin, a microwave-sized robotic spacecraft. The target for this historic mission is the football-sized near-Earth Asteroid 2022 OB5.
"If this works out, this will probably be the biggest business ever conceived of," Matt Gialich, founder and CEO, AstroForge, told The New York Times.
Launch details
Odin's journey to space
AstroForge's spacecraft, Odin, will be launched into space by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch is scheduled for no earlier than February 26 from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Along with Odin, a privately constructed Moon lander and a lunar orbiter will also be launched as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
After about 45 minutes of flight time post-launch, Odin will separate from the Falcon 9 and begin its solo journey toward Asteroid 2022 OB5.
Exploration objectives
Odin's mission to explore asteroid 2022 OB5
The main goal of Odin's mission is to photograph Asteroid 2022 OB5 with black-and-white cameras from a distance of nearly a kilometer.
These photographs will give us valuable information about the asteroid's density and metallic content.
The M-type asteroid is thought to contain as much as 117,000 tons of platinum, a precious metal with extensive industrial applications.
Future plans
AstroForge's future asteroid missions and potential returns
AstroForge, which recently raised $55 million, is already planning its third asteroid mission.
The company hopes to land on an asteroid for extraction by late 2025 or early 2026.
Mitch Hunter-Scullion, CEO of Asteroid Mining Corp in Britain, emphasized the enormous potential of such missions by saying a single platinum-bearing asteroid could hold centuries' worth of global platinum supply.
Return journey
Odin's return and mission duration
The whole mission is expected to continue for more than 300 days before Odin returns to Earth.
The photos taken by the spacecraft could conclusively confirm if Asteroid 2022 OB5 is really metallic.
This will be important in evaluating the asteroid's suitability for future mining operations, taking a major leap in space exploration and resource acquisition.