Obama Brings US Closer to Asteroid Mining

The Washington Post reported that this week, President Barack Obama will request that NASA allocate $105 million toward a mission aimed at capturing a small asteroid and pulling it close to the moon so that samples can be brought back to earth. The project reportedly draws on asteroid mining and deflection science; NASA will determine whether it is feasible by this summer.

As quoted in the market news:

The president’s request includes $78 million for NASA to develop technologies for the project and $27 million for beefing up the agency’s asteroid-detection work. The mission would fulfill a goal Obama set three years ago to send astronauts to an asteroid.

The mission would marry ongoing NASA projects, including asteroid detection, robotic spacecraft development, the construction of a giant new rocket — the Space Launch System — and the building of a deep-space human exploration capsule called Orion. A non-crewed test launch of Orion is set for next year.

Under the plan, an Atlas V rocket would launch the robotic craft toward a 20- to 30-foot-wide asteroid. Upon arrival, the craft would deploy a big bag, stuff the asteroid into it and start motoring toward the moon. The Space Launch System and Orion would later deliver the human crew.