Nasa

Nasa’s California-based jet propulsion laboratory (JPL) has asked the American industry for innovative ideas to develop an advanced solar electric propulsion-based spacecraft to support agency’s Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM).

The agency is looking to build an ARRM spacecraft with high-power solar electric propulsion, with initial solar array power of around 50kw.

The robotics capture system designed aboard the vehicle will be able to acquire a boulder of 20t or more and up to 19ft in width from an asteroid’s surface and then return it to an astronaut-accessible orbit near the moon.

Nasa’s space launch system or other commercial rocket can lift-off the spacecraft that need to be readied by 2020.

Nasa associate administrator Robert Lightfoot said: "We’re eager to hear from American companies on their ideas for a spacecraft design that could accommodate our advanced solar electric propulsion requirements and robotic technologies.

"With this mission, Nasa will expand its ability to detect, characterise and mitigate the threat that space rocks pose to Earth."

"We’re also interested in what sorts of innovative commercial, international and academic partnerships opportunities might be practical and help reduce overall mission costs while still demonstrating the technologies we need for our journey to Mars."

ARRM is a part of Nasa’s overall Asteroid Redirect Mission that will use a number of technologies to prepare for an early human exploration mission in deep space, specifically, the area around the moon known as cislunar space.

The mission also aims to provide the first large-scale asteroid samples to conduct research and analysis for better understanding of the composition and nature of the primordial planetary bodies.

With this mission, Nasa will expand its ability to detect, characterise and mitigate the threat that space rocks pose to Earth.

ARM will mainly demonstrate affordability and prove new capabilities required for future human missions to Mars in the 2030s.

Image: Artists concept of Nasa’s Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission capturing an asteroid boulder. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.