China to launch asteroid-mining robot
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Origin Space will launch its first bot aboard a Long March rocket, operated by the China National Space Administration, following a push by China to encourage private companies to begin mining space resources. The Beijing-based firm has dubbed its NEO-1 machine a “space mining robot”, though it is more of a prospector than an actual miner. Space Origin co-founder Yu Tianhong told IEEE Spectrum: “The goal is to verify and demonstrate multiple functions such as spacecraft orbital manoeuvre, simulated small celestial body capture, intelligent spacecraft identification and control.” The mining of space resources has proved increasingly popular in recent years, with a number of ventures aiming to profit from the potentially trillion-dollar industry. “One eighth of the iron in the asteroid belt is more than a million times greater than all of the Earth’s currently estimated iron ore reserves, and it may well suffice for centuries,” the study stated.
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