Robot prototype launched to scoop up debris from space

A Chinese space mining start-up launched a robot prototype into low Earth orbit on Tuesday that can scoop up debris left behind by other spacecraft with a big net.

The NEO-01, which will also peer into deep space to observe small celestial bodies, was launched on the Long March-6 rocket along with eight other satellites.

The 30kg robot developed by Shenzhen-based Origin Space will pave the way for future technologies capable of mining on asteroids, the company said.

Since the establishment of the world’s first asteroid mining company Planetary Resources in 2009, more than a dozen firms across the world have entered the fledging sector, including 3D Systems of the United States and Japan’s Astroscale.

Unlike Astroscale’s technology, which uses magnets to gather up space junk, NEO-01 will use a net to capture debris and then burn it with its electric propulsion system, according to a report on the company’s website.

Thousands of satellites have been launched globally. As they outlive their use, many end up as junk, posing danger to other operating satellites.

Origin Space plans to launch dozens of space telescopes and more spacecraft to achieve the first commercial mining of asteroids by 2045, the company’s founder Su Meng said.

China is stepping up efforts to land a probe on a near-Earth asteroid to collect samples, and also expediting a plan to build a defense system against near-Earth asteroids.

The launch on Tuesday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province was the 366th flight mission of the Long March rocket series.

The satellites, including Qilu-1 and Qilu-4, have entered their planned orbits and will provide Shandong Province with remote sensing services for land survey, urban construction, agriculture, forestry, energy, disaster prevention and reduction.

Other satellites onboard the rocket will be used to test technologies in satellite platform design, real-time imaging and observation, data acquisition and transmission, or to offer observations of celestial bodies and remote sensing services.