asteroid
Foust Forward | The most expensive rocks in the solar system
Can there be too much of a good thing? Perhaps, when it comes to asteroid samples. That’s what NASA discovered in October when its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft swooped down to collect material from the surface of the asteroid Bennu on a “touch-and-go” maneuver.
Germany joins JAXA’s low-cost deep space test mission
The German Aerospace Center, DLR, has partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on a planned low-cost asteroid mission called Destiny+, expected to launch toward the asteroid 3200 Phaethon in 2024.
China is moving ahead with lunar south pole and near-Earth asteroid missions
China is advancing the development of the Chang'e-7 lunar south pole mission and a complex campaign to study comets and return samples from a near-Earth asteroid with a single orbiter.
Op-ed | Why tapping the solar system’s far-flung resources would be better than building new ICBMs
The United States is on the verge of making a profound strategic mistake. The nation is preparing to spend $85 billion replacing working nuclear-armed Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles with a new “Ground Based Strategic Deterrent.” Like the old missiles, the new arsenal will consist of silo-based rockets with nuclear warheads.
Op-ed | A space-based survey, not luck, must be our plan against hazardous asteroids
Luck is not a plan. Yet up to now Congressional appropriators and senior NASA officials are mostly relying on luck to keep us safe from catastrophic fatalities resulting from the surprise impact of an unseen asteroid.
ESA plans second attempt at planetary defense mission
A year and a half after ministers declined to fund one mission to an asteroid, the European Space Agency is working on a second such mission that could support planetary defense efforts.
NASA reviews options for Dawn extended mission
NASA expects to make a decision within the next two months whether to keep the Dawn spacecraft in orbit around the largest body in the main asteroid belt or have it fly past another asteroid.
B612 studying smallsat missions to search for near Earth objects
The B612 Foundation, which once sought to privately develop a large space observatory to search for potentially hazardous near Earth objects (NEOs), is now studying an alternative approach that uses much smaller spacecraft.
Luxembourg, serious about mining asteroids, prospects for Silicon Valley partners
Few events at the NASA Ames Research Center draw the crowd that greeted Luxembourg’s royal delegation April 12. The Grand Duchy’s prince, princess and deputy prime minister met with NASA officials, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors to discuss Luxembourg’s campaign to harvest valuable materials from asteroids, moons or planets.
Future of asteroid intercept mission depends on Congress
Plans to continue a NASA mission to intercept a small asteroid will depend on a decision due by the end of April on NASA’s 2017 budget, an agency official said March 20.
Asteroid missions face delays and restructuring
NASA is delaying contracts and other awards planned for its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) early this year by a few months, citing uncertainty about the agency’s budget.
NASA presses ahead with asteroid mission despite ESA funding decision
Scientists involved with a proposed NASA mission to a near Earth asteroid say their work is not affected, for now, by a decision by the European Space Agency earlier this month not to fund a companion spacecraft
Deep Space Industries unveils first asteroid prospecting spacecraft
Deep Space Industries plans to launch a small satellite by the end of the decade to survey a near Earth asteroid, the next major step in the company’s long-term ambitions to mine asteroids for resources.
Planetary Resources raises financing round for Earth observation system
Planetary Resources, a company with long-term plans to perform asteroid mining, announced May 26 it has raised $21.1 million to develop a satellite system for Earth observation.
Report suggests NASA fly precursor to Asteroid Redirect Mission
A report released by NASA Feb. 18 found no scientific showstoppers for the agency’s planned Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), but suggested a precursor mission to the selected asteroid could improve the odds of success.
New Law Unlikely To Settle Debate on Space Resource Rights
Language in a new commercial space law that grants companies rights to resources they extract from asteroids and other solar system bodies provides them with some certainty, but they acknowledge that the law is likely not the last word on the issue.
SSL Is Partner for Proposed NASA Mission to Metallic Asteroid
Should a proposed probe to a metallic asteroid win NASA funding next year, Space Systems/Loral will provide the spacecraft structure and propulsion system.
NASA Starts Competition for Asteroid Redirect Spacecraft
NASA has kicked off a two-step competition for the spacecraft bus to be used for a proposed mission to haul a chunk of an asteroid to lunar space for astronauts to visit later, according to a procurement note posted online Oct. 20.
