CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The mining robot named as an ‘Asteroid mining robot’ will be a part of the preliminary assessment to identify and extract valuable resources. The spacecraft NEO-1 will be launched onboard a Chinese Long March rocket.

Detailed explanation-2: -Mitch Hunter-Scullion is describing a six-legged robot called Scar-e, the Space Capable Asteroid Robotic Explorer, which he aims to send to an asteroid to drill for precious metals such as iron, nickel and platinum.

Detailed explanation-3: -The NEO-01, developed by Nanjing-based Origin Space Technology Co, which claims to be the first Chinese company dedicated to exploring and utilizing space resources, was launched on a Long March 6 rocket for space debris removal and asteroids mining experiments in deep space in April 2021.

Detailed explanation-4: -Although proposed many times, the first tangible effort to enable the exploration and development of asteroid mining came in 2012 from Planetary Resources, a Seattle-based aerospace company. Planetary Resources were then closely followed by a similar company, Deep Space Industries.

Detailed explanation-5: -Now researchers have uncovered two metal-rich near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) that could one day be mined for iron, nickel and cobalt could for use on Earth or in space. They’re reckoned to be 85% metal and one is thought to contain enough iron, nickel and cobalt to exceed Earth’s reserves.