On 8 September, a NASA spacecraft is set to launch on a seven-year mission to retrieve rocks and dust from a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. Those samples could help scientists to better understand the origins of the Solar System’s planets — and, perhaps, of life itself.
Called OSIRIS-REx, the mission comes as a handful of companies pursue controversial plans to mine asteroids, in search of rare minerals or even fuel for extended space missions. If the NASA effort succeeds, it will serve as a proof of concept for more ambitious attempts to exploit asteroids for scientific or commercial gain.
“We’re cheering for them for a successful launch and mission,” says Chris Lewicki, president and chief executive of Planetary Resources in Redmond, Washington, a company that is developing technology to mine asteroids. Extracting resources from space rocks, he says, will “unleash the economic potential of exploring the Solar System”.
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