Asteroid Mining Startup’s Spacecraft Goes Missing Beyond the Moon: What This Means for the Future of Space Exploration

A privately built spacecraft called Odin is lost in deep space, about 270,000 miles from Earth. It seems unlikely that anyone will be able to contact it anytime soon.

AstroForge, a startup from California, launched Odin on February 26 using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The goal was to reach a small asteroid and examine it for precious metals. This was part of AstroForge’s bigger dream to mine asteroids for profit and to become the first company to run a commercial deep-space mission with its own spacecraft.

However, shortly after Odin separated from the rocket, the mission faced challenges. The ground station in Australia encountered major technical problems due to a broken power amplifier. This setback delayed AstroForge’s first attempt to communicate with Odin. As more attempts failed and the spacecraft’s location became uncertain, AstroForge founder Matt Gialich expressed concern about the mission’s chances. “I think we all know the hope is fading,” he said in a video update.

This was not AstroForge’s first setback. In April 2023, the company launched its first mission to test refining materials from asteroids. Unfortunately, that mission also faced communication issues. Learning from these challenges, AstroForge decided to build Odin in-house for the second mission. Gialich emphasized the importance of cost-effectiveness, stating, “We know how to build these craft. They just cost a billion dollars elsewhere. How do we do it for a fraction of the cost?”

Despite the hurdles, the team kept trying to communicate with Odin, making continuous attempts for over 18 hours each day. They even used more sensitive equipment and reached out to additional ground stations, but none of these efforts succeeded. The team also sought help from observatories and amateur astronomers to locate Odin, but the spacecraft was too faint for smaller telescopes.

Gialich remained optimistic, noting that even reaching the rocket and deploying the spacecraft in just ten months was an accomplishment. “Wish we would have made it all the way – But the fact that we made contact on a spacecraft we built in 10 months is amazing,” he reflected.

Looking ahead, AstroForge is gearing up for its third mission named Vestri. This spacecraft will aim to dock with a near-Earth asteroid and is scheduled for launch in late 2025, riding along with another mission to the Moon. “This is a new frontier, and we got another shot at it with Vestri,” Gialich stated.