Editing Near-Earth object (section)

==== Space mining ====

From the 2000s, there were plans for the commercial exploitation of near-Earth asteroids, either through the use of robots or even by sending private commercial astronauts to act as space miners, but few of these plans were pursued.<ref name="Forbes210831">{{Cite news |last=Dorminey |first=Bruce |title=Does Commercial Asteroid Mining Still Have A Future? |date=August 31, 2021 |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2021/08/31/does-commercial-asteroid-mining-still-have-a-future/ |access-date=January 2, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804082359/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2021/08/31/does-commercial-asteroid-mining-still-have-a-future/ |archive-date=August 4, 2024}}</ref>

In April 2012, the company [[Planetary Resources]] announced its plans to [[Asteroid mining|mine asteroids]] commercially. In a first phase, the company reviewed data and selected potential targets among NEAs. In a second phase, space probes would be sent to the selected NEAs; mining spacecraft would be sent in a third phase.<ref name="ST-AsteroidMining">{{cite news |first=Kelly |last=Beatty |title=Asteroid Mining for Fun and Profit |date=April 24, 2012 |work=Sky & Telescope |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/asteroid-mining-forfunandprofit/ |access-date=January 2, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912123200/https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/asteroid-mining-forfunandprofit/ |archive-date=September 12, 2024}}</ref> Planetary Resources launched two testbed satellites in April 2015<ref name="Arkyd6LeftBuilding"/> and January 2018,<ref>{{cite news |title=Planetary Resources Launches Latest Spacecraft in Advance of Space Resource Exploration Mission |date=January 12, 2018 |work=News |publisher=Planetary Resources |url=https://www.planetaryresources.com/2018/01/planetary-resources-launches-latest-spacecraft-in-advance-of-space-resource-exploration-mission/ |access-date=January 13, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113093243/https://www.planetaryresources.com/2018/01/planetary-resources-launches-latest-spacecraft-in-advance-of-space-resource-exploration-mission/ |archive-date=January 13, 2018}}</ref> and the first prospecting satellite for the second phase was planned for a 2020 launch prior to the company closing and its assets purchased by ConsenSys Space in 2018.<ref name="Arkyd6LeftBuilding">{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Boyle |title=Planetary Resources' Arkyd-6 prototype imaging satellite has left the building |date=November 13, 2017 |work=[[GeekWire]] |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2017/planetary-resources-arkyd-6-prototype-imaging-satellite-left-building/ |access-date=January 2, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114080201/https://www.geekwire.com/2017/planetary-resources-arkyd-6-prototype-imaging-satellite-left-building/ |archive-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref><ref name="oneyearsinceplanetaryresources">{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Boyle |title=One year after Planetary Resource faded into history, space mining retails its appeal |date=November 4, 2019 |work=GeekWire |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2019/one-year-planetary-resources-faded-history-space-mining-retains-appeal/ |access-date=January 2, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014085126/https://www.geekwire.com/2019/one-year-planetary-resources-faded-history-space-mining-retains-appeal/ |archive-date=October 14, 2023}}</ref>

Another American company established with the goal of space mining, [[AstroForge]], launched the probe ''Odin'' (formerly ''Brokkr-2'') on February 26, 2025, to perform a flyby of asteroid {{mpl|2022 OB|5}}, but the probe showed technical problems.<ref name="Odin-launch-problems">{{cite news |first=Tariq |last=Malik |title='I think we all know that hope is fading.' Private Odin asteroid probe is tumbling in space |date=March 1, 2025 |work=Space.com |url=https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/i-think-we-all-know-that-hope-is-fading-private-odin-asteroid-probe-is-tumbling-in-space |access-date=March 2, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250301230617/https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/i-think-we-all-know-that-hope-is-fading-private-odin-asteroid-probe-is-tumbling-in-space |archive-date=March 1, 2025}}</ref> The  goal of the mission was to confirm if {{mp|2022 OB|5}} is a metal-rich [[M-type asteroid]].<ref>{{Cite news |first=Alex |last=Knapp |title=This Asteroid Mining Startup Is Ready To Launch The First-Ever Commercial Deep Space Mission |date=October 18, 2023 |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2023/10/18/this-asteroid-mining-startup-is-ready-to-launch-the-first-ever-commercial-deep-space-mission/ |access-date=January 3, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123112719/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2023/10/18/this-asteroid-mining-startup-is-ready-to-launch-the-first-ever-commercial-deep-space-mission/ |archive-date=November 23, 2024}}</ref> Regardless of the success of ''Odin'', AstroForge plans  to follow it up a year later with the probe ''Vestri'', which is to land on the same asteroid.<ref name="Odin-launch-problems"/>