A private company is getting ready to send a microwave oven-sized spacecraft to an asteroid this week. Their aim? To kickstart a future where valuable metals are mined in space for big profits on Earth.
Matt Gialich, the founder and CEO of AstroForge, believes this could be a groundbreaking business. He says, “If this works out, it will probably be the biggest business ever conceived.”
It’s a bold statement, especially since asteroid mining has been talked about for years but hasn’t really taken off. A decade ago, companies promised riches from asteroids, but they never made it happen.
David Gump, former chief of Deep Space Industries, reflects on that time, saying they launched their efforts too early. Eventually, funding fell through, and the company was sold in 2019 without reaching an asteroid.
Now, AstroForge believes the situation is different. Based in California, the company has already sent a test spacecraft into orbit and raised $55 million. They are now ready to journey toward a near-Earth asteroid.
Their new craft, named Odin, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This rocket will also carry a privately designed moon lander and a NASA lunar orbiter, with the launch scheduled for Wednesday from Florida. After about 45 minutes in the air, Odin will break away and start its mission into deep space, while the other missions continue their paths.
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