The Plan

The Plan

Our mining operation in space will involve a series of steps, beginning with launching the spacecraft and refueling as needed. Once in orbit, we will perform an orbital acceleration to travel toward the desired location. To match the speed of the target, we will execute a deceleration burn or an acceleration burn. Proximity burns will then be used to position ourselves optimally.

Using radar and scans, we will search for the best location to deploy the mining hatch. We will then deploy the cable winch and slowly orbit while deploying the cable. Once the free end of the cable is captured, we will deploy the mining braces, or legs, and winch the cable until the braces make contact. Next, we will unlock the mining attachment and extend the Mining Head and Material Mover (MHMM). To ensure reliability, we will use a hard rock mining head.

We will engage the zero-gravity conveyor system, which will move the pieces up from the MHMM to the starship hold and the deflector. A spin conveyor will then move the materials toward the rear of the ship. Inside the material holder, we will use a high-strength net with the top able to close and anchor for landing to prevent the ore from moving around during reentry or slamming into the floor during landing.

The mining operation will be limited to the length of the MHMM. However, with the winch, we will be able to loosen the cable and use the winches together to move along one axis of travel. We can then tighten the cable and re-land on a fresh location using an absolute minimum amount of fuel. We will repeat this until we reach our goal of 100 tons of ore.

To leave the target location, we will first lock down the ore using pre-hung cables attached to winches mounted to the frame to prevent damage during landing. We will then retract the MHMM in the bay and unwind the cable on both ends, which is a little wasteful but less likely to have any issues than winding it back in. After retracting the braces, we will initiate the first burn back toward home, return to Earth's orbit, and refuel if necessary. We will then land, empty the cargo, inspect and replace the cable, do any necessary repairs, restack onto a booster, and launch to start the process again

The Target 

Asteroid 2011 UW158 is a particularly interesting near-Earth object (NEO) due to its estimated wealth in precious metals, particularly platinum.

Key Facts About 2011 UW158:

• Size: Approximately 600 meters in diameter and 300 meters in height, resembling a flattened, oblong shape.

• Composition: It's believed to contain large quantities of platinum and other Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), making it a prime target for future asteroid mining efforts. The asteroid is estimated to hold up to $5 trillion worth of platinum.

• Orbit: 2011 UW158 is classified as an Apollo-type asteroid, meaning it has an orbit that crosses Earth's path, though it does not pose an immediate threat to the planet. It makes periodic close approaches to Earth but remains at safe distances.

• Close Approach: One of its closest recorded approaches occurred in July 2015, when it came within 1.5 million miles (2.4 million kilometers) of Earth, which is about six times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

Mining Potential:

2011 UW158 has drawn significant attention from the space mining industry due to its size and composition. The high concentration of valuable metals like platinum makes it an attractive candidate for future mining missions, especially as technologies advance for capturing and processing asteroid resources.

Its accessibility as a near-Earth asteroid adds to its allure, though actual mining missions would require advanced spacecraft and mining systems that are still in development.