2023 was a landmark year for the off-Earth mining industry, marked by significant advancements and a few setbacks. The year saw various companies and missions pushing the boundaries of space exploration and resource utilization.
In April, the Japanese company ispace attempted to land its Hakuto-R lander on the Moon. Despite losing the rover during landing, this mission was a crucial step for private space enterprises aiming to support a sustained human presence on the Moon, including potential mining operations.
Meanwhile, Lunar Outpost delivered the first flight model of its Lunar Vertex MAPP rover for NASA’s 2024 mission. The rover, designed to explore the Moon’s Reiner Gamma site, is critical for understanding lunar resources. Similarly, Astrobotic Technology has been focusing on robots for lunar missions, including a NASA project to mine water and methane ices at the lunar poles.
Deep Space Systems, now part of Redwire, contributed to lunar resource utilization technologies, participating in NASA’s Break the Ice Lunar Challenge in 2022. Moon Express, established in 2010, is developing robotic spacecraft for missions to the Moon, asteroids, and Mars, aiming to make space missions more affordable.
NASA‘s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned about 250 grams of material from asteroid Bennu in September 2023. This sample, containing water-bearing clay minerals, offers insights into asteroid resources. Additionally, the Psyche mission, launched in October 2023, is headed to the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche, potentially revealing the core of an early planet.
However, the industry also faced challenges, as exemplified by AstroForge. This asteroid mining startup encountered issues with their refinery system generating a magnetic field, disrupting satellite orientation and communication. Despite these hurdles, they made valuable advancements in tracking and communication protocols for future missions.
These developments, both positive and challenging, highlight the growing focus on utilizing space resources. The progress in 2023 sets the foundation for more ambitious projects and innovations in lunar and asteroid exploration in the years ahead.
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