NASA initiates the beginning of the development of asteroids, providing contracts to private companies

Two private companies have already received contracts for the development of asteroids from NASA. These companies are Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources. As for Planetary Resources, this is an American company from the state of Washington. The company has already announced plans to launch two satellites, Arkyd 6 and Arkyd 3, in order to analyze the design and principles of operation of space telescopes. This company plans to build several such telescopes, which will be used to study asteroids close to Earth.

Planetary Resources already has ready-made telescopes (by the way, funds for one of the models, in the amount of $ 1.5 million, were collected on the kickstarter Arkyd 300, Arkyd 200 and Arkyd 100. Each telescope has its own role in the study of near-Earth space, and your toolbox.

So, the Arkyd 100 will work as a low-orbit telescope capable of studying the Earth and asteroids. Arkyd 200 will be used as an interceptor capable of detecting asteroids between the Earth and the Moon. And the Arkyd 300 will be equipped with a power plant, allowing the device to study the space outside the orbits of the Earth and the Moon.
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Deep Space Industries is the second company to win a NASA contract. Its experts will be engaged in the development of small spacecraft FireFlies. Devices will explore the density, composition and size of the asteroids. In addition, the company plans to create another spacecraft, the Dragonfly, which will be able to catch asteroids. The latter will be developed, and the resulting material will be delivered to Earth by Harvesters (almost Dune, yes).

In addition to the contracts awarded, NASA also plans to launch an annual competition for university students. The goal is to create practical robots that could be engaged in the development of asteroids.

Via betawired