The mission of Odin, a spacecraft from asteroid mining company AstroForge, has come to an unexpected end. After launching with another spacecraft named Athena, Odin eventually detached and set off on its own journey.
Odin aimed to reach an asteroid and use its cameras to check for platinum, a precious metal. AstroForge had big dreams of collecting this valuable resource and bringing it back to Earth. However, the company now believes Odin is tumbling through space, making it unlikely to regain communication with the spacecraft, as shared in a recent post.
The plan was for Odin to spend about 300 days in space, preparing for a flyby of an asteroid called 2022 OB5.
AstroForge’s CEO, Matt Gialich, acknowledged the risks involved in such a mission. In a candid moment, he expressed his fears, saying, “I’m terrified.”
Historically, only government space agencies have successfully returned small samples from asteroids, often at steep costs. In contrast, Odin was built for less than $7 million and took just ten months to assemble.
Odin faced challenges almost immediately after launch. The updates shared by the company tell a tale of unexpected complications and struggles. Although they managed to make contact with Odin several times initially, they eventually lost track of it due to positioning errors.
Despite these setbacks, AstroForge emphasizes the importance of what they learned from this mission. Robyn Ringuette, the company’s chief operating officer, stated that the insights gained would help minimize risks in future missions, improving their chances of success.
While Odin didn’t accomplish everything they had hoped for, the experience has already provided significant knowledge that will shape future endeavors.
Check out this related article: Asteroid Mining Startup’s Spacecraft Goes Missing Beyond the Moon: What This Means for the Future of Space Exploration
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