China all set to launch an asteroid mining robot in November

What might be a significant milestone in exploration, a China start-up is all set to send a ‘ mining robot’ in vember. According to a report by IEEE, Beijing-based private resources company called Origin has even taken initial steps towards testing capabilities in a bid to identify and extract off-Earth resources. 

Weighing nearly 30 grams, NEO-1 satellite is designed to enter a 500-kilometre-altitude sun-synchrous orbit and will be launch by a Chinese Long March series rocket as a secondary payload. Even though tiny robot will t perform actual mining at it would be testing techlogies.

An Origin co-founder, Yu Tianhong was quoted by media outlet saying that main goal of entire venture is to demonstrate several functions including craft orbital maeuvre along with ‘intelligent’ craft identification and control. Because such a mission has never been conducted before, outcome or potential progress still remains subject to several speculations. However, if successful, mining robot could reportedly give birth to a trillion-dollar industry. 

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NEO-2 involves lunar landing

2017-established Beijing company is reportedly even eying 2021 or 2022 for a NEO-2 mission involving a landing on Moon. Even though Origin co-founder has informed that project is still in process of completion, he assured that it would include a lunar landing through an indirect journey. 

Apart from this, ar mission Yuanwang-1 or Look up-1 which is nicknamed as ‘Little Hubble’ is also scheduled to take place in 2021. deal for development of satellite has been reportedly signed with a subsidiary of China’s main state-owned contractor CASC. 

Meanwhile, NASA is also on its way to perform a separate historic mission on October 20 when its robotic OSIRIS-REx craft will touch down on asteroid Bennu’s surface for a few seconds for collecting rock samples and dust. This is first time NASA will attempt to grab pieces of an asteroid, which will be returned to Earth for study.

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