“We Mine Asteroids” is the motto of a California space startup that just became the first company to secure a commercial deep space license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The agency provided this experimental certification on Oct. 18.
AstroForge will be sending a newly developed spacecraft 7 million miles away from the Earth in a historic attempt to extract critical metals from a distant asteroid. The company’s “Odin” vessel, being launched in January, is now authorized to establish communication networks capable of functioning over that vast distance with partners on the ground.
A rocket made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Falcon 9, will be assisting AstroForge to send Odin into orbit. Odin’s name means knowledge and wisdom seeker in Norse mythology.
Its journey will be part of the Intuitive Machines Inc (NASDAQ: LUNR) IM-2 lunar mission, AstroForge says. Intuitive Machines uses SpaceX’s rocket for their lunar endeavours.
“This was the last gate needed to launch Odin,” AstroForge chief executive, Matthew Gialich, said in an X post Monday. “Can’t wait to strap this thing to the side of the falcon and send it to the cosmos.”
The International Telecommunications Union has designated any distance greater than 2 million kilometres as “Deep Space.” Odin’s ability to tolerate the amount of radiation present at such great distances was a significant factor considered in its development.
Odin’s launch follows the failure of the Brokkr-1 cubesat satellite sent into space last April. It failed to communicate properly, but AstroForge learned lessons from the undertaking that have informed its upcoming launch of Odin.
I'd like to wish @astroforge great success with their Odin Mission to deep space, which will be launching soon. The bold AstroForge plan to commercially mine asteroids is an example of the remarkable innovation that contributes to America maintaining its leading role in space…
— Nathan Simington (@SimingtonFCC) October 31, 2024
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AstroForge to launch larger craft by 2025-end: ‘Vestri’
Vestri, which is about twice the size of Odin, will be making its way to the same target asteroid by the end of next year. The space rock it will be landing on is anticipated to have rich iron content. It will attach itself to it with magnets.
This launch will be part of Intuitive Machines’ third mission next year.
“Vestri will assess the asteroid’s composition, giving us critical insights into the quality and quantity of valuable elements it holds,” AstroForge says.
AstroForge raised US$40 million in a Series A funding round led by Nova Threshold this August. The space tech company has secured a total of US$55 million.
“There is no question that Earth is running out of resources and current practices are incredibly destructive to our planet,” co-founder Jose Acain said in a recent interview. “AstroForge has found a solution that promises a resource-rich and sustainable future.”
Asteroids have the potential to be beneficial material sources for batteries, solar panels and many other technologies. A study published last year in the journal Planetary and Space Science highlighted that they can host a diverse array of valuable metals and minerals.
AstroForge just added a seasoned advisor who spent nine years working for SpaceX to its team. Hans Koenigsmann will now be overseeing operations at the company’s new facility in Seal Beach, California.
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