The human race may be getting closer to actually mining an asteroid. AstroForge, a startup, plans to demonstrate its asteroid refinement technology in space this April.
The California startup is preparing to send its mining equipment for asteroids on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. The aim is to validate the technology and conduct a mock mine in zero gravity.
AstroForge states that during the test, “the spacecraft is pre-loaded with asteroid-like materials which the refinery will vaporize, and sort into their elemental components” (Opens in new window).
The company hopes to be the first to mine asteroids in space. This involves digging into the asteroid to find a way to return large quantities of material mined to Earth.
Asteroids are space rocks that have yielded only small amounts of materials. For example, NASA’s OSIRIS REx spacecraft is scheduled to return to the Bennu asteroids with up to two pounds of material later in September.
According to CNBC(Opens in new window), AstroForge’s mining process involves vaporizing asteroid material to create a cloud that can be used to refine rare earth elements such as Platinum and bring them back to Earth. Space mining is usually expensive.
The company will send up its mining payloads via commercial satellite launches to reduce costs. Platinum is worth $33,000 per kilogram (2.2 lbs), so the startup must only bring back a few hundred kilograms to make millions.
AstroForge, which has raised $13 million for seed funding, is also planning to launch a second mission into space this year. The company plans to launch a vehicle called Brokkr-2 (which Opens in a new window) to explore an asteroid.
AstroForge will then plan a third mission, which involves taking a rock sample from the target asteroid to Earth to determine its composition. The company will prepare to launch a mining rig that will land on the target asteroid and begin metal extraction.
