Spinoff story

Simulated Space Dirt Supports Future Asteroid Mining

A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.

About this technology

Overview

Water is “space gold,” and Deep Space Industries is working on technology to mine it from asteroids. The San Jose, California-based company answered a call from Kennedy Space Center to develop special mixes of dirt and rocks that mimic the surfaces of asteroids to help test equipment. Now the company sells the simulant to universities, space agencies, and other companies interested in space mining.