NEW DELHI: In the early part of the upcoming year, a SpaceX rocket is set to send a drill to the Moon’s surface as part of the Artemis program. Along for the ride on that rocket will be a smaller spacecraft with a different destination: an asteroid, which will take about nine months to reach, reported Forbes.
This spacecraft, known as Brokkr-2, is being created by Astroforge, a California-based company with the goal of commercializing space mining.
Just last month, the company conducted a successful test firing of the rockets that will propel the spacecraft to its distant target. This milestone is a crucial step before the spacecraft is integrated with the rocket for next year’s launch. If all goes as planned, it would be the first time a private company has ventured beyond Earth and the Moon in a space mission.
“The fact that that went smoothly and we didn’t show you a picture of a fireball means that we got through that gate. We’re in a really good position to make an attempt at the world’s first commercial deep space mission.” Astroforge co-founder and CEO Matt Gialich told Forbes.
Mining asteroids may sound like something from a sci-fi story, but there’s a practical reason behind it. As the world shifts away from fossil fuels and increasingly depends on electricity, the demand for metals is set to rise. However, Earth’s metal resources are finite, and many prime mining locations for essential metals are already in use.
Many of the asteroids in our solar system contain valuable metals like cobalt, nickel, and platinum-group metals, which are essential for future industries.
These metals can be found in higher concentrations than on Earth, meaning that mining smaller amounts of material can yield more metals.
The analysis indicates that over time, it might become feasible to reduce Earth-based mining significantly and depend more on space resources to meet our planet’s needs. This is precisely the market that Astroforge aims to target.
This spacecraft, known as Brokkr-2, is being created by Astroforge, a California-based company with the goal of commercializing space mining.
Just last month, the company conducted a successful test firing of the rockets that will propel the spacecraft to its distant target. This milestone is a crucial step before the spacecraft is integrated with the rocket for next year’s launch. If all goes as planned, it would be the first time a private company has ventured beyond Earth and the Moon in a space mission.
“The fact that that went smoothly and we didn’t show you a picture of a fireball means that we got through that gate. We’re in a really good position to make an attempt at the world’s first commercial deep space mission.” Astroforge co-founder and CEO Matt Gialich told Forbes.
Mining asteroids may sound like something from a sci-fi story, but there’s a practical reason behind it. As the world shifts away from fossil fuels and increasingly depends on electricity, the demand for metals is set to rise. However, Earth’s metal resources are finite, and many prime mining locations for essential metals are already in use.
Many of the asteroids in our solar system contain valuable metals like cobalt, nickel, and platinum-group metals, which are essential for future industries.
These metals can be found in higher concentrations than on Earth, meaning that mining smaller amounts of material can yield more metals.
The analysis indicates that over time, it might become feasible to reduce Earth-based mining significantly and depend more on space resources to meet our planet’s needs. This is precisely the market that Astroforge aims to target.
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