Submitting Campus

Worldwide

Student Status

Graduate

Class

Graduate Student Works

Advisor Name

Dr. Grant Henson

Abstract/Description

The prospect of asteroid mining provides a plethora of riches that include metals and water. As the number of discovered asteroids continues to grow, opportunities arise to commercialize these resources within Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). With urgent applications on Earth and in space, NEAs allow for a surge in sales. Planning forward, Astroider Aerospace Systems follows a mission split into four phases. Phase 1 develops a series of spacecraft using existing technologies, titled as Near-Earth Asteroid Miners and Near-Earth Asteroid Surveyors. Phase 2 first launches the surveyors to candidate NEAs, prospecting them for ores. To identify potential celestial bodies for this phase, astronomical tools are employed: Precovery Database, Photometry, and Radar Data. Phase 3 then proceeds to launch the miners as soon as targeted NEAs are determined to have ample mining zones. The miners commence extraction and once finished, deliver the payloads back to Earth. Phase 4 finally commercializes these transported NEA material payloads, where they are sold under Astroider Aerospace Systems for profit. Findings showcase the constituents of each phase working in synergy to promote the start of an NEA mining program.

Document Type

Report

Publication/Presentation Date

12-5-2021

Publisher

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

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