Space mining is gaining attention due to the depletion of Earth's resources and the potential of extraterrestrial materials. It involves extracting valuable resources from celestial bodies like moons, asteroids, and planets, which may offer rare elements and minerals in higher quantities than those on Earth. These resources are crucial for both Earth's needs and future space exploration. However, space mining faces significant economic, technical, and regulatory challenges, with research still in its early stages.1
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Multifunctional Space Mining Robot
The China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT) has developed a multifunctional space mining robot for microgravity environments. It has six legs, three wheels, and three claw legs, and navigates microgravity and rugged asteroid terrains.3,4
The wheels handle smooth asteroid terrain while the anchor structures tackle loose soil and rocky areas. The prototype has filed patents and passed preliminary reviews, potentially advancing future space mining efforts.3,4
Space mining robots face challenges in microgravity environments like the Moon or asteroids, where their own weight is not sufficient for drilling. To overcome this issue, scientists drew inspiration from insect claw-and-spine structures to equip the robot with specialized clawed limbs. This array-style claw design improves anchoring and adhesion, allowing the robot to stabilize itself for sampling in microgravity.3,4
The robot's bionic six-legged structure also combines anchoring mechanisms and wheels, enabling it to traverse uneven asteroid surfaces. In simulated lunar soil environments, the robot successfully walks, anchors, and collects samples, demonstrating its adaptability and effectiveness in microgravity conditions.3,4
Scientists built a simulated training ground to help the robot withstand vacuum conditions, extreme temperature fluctuations, space radiation, and volume and weight limitations on celestial bodies. This environment replicates the near-Earth asteroid’s weathered surface using sandy soil and a suspension system to simulate microgravity.3,4
The coordinated operation of the robot's six-legged differential suspension and clutch mechanisms enables it to adjust its structure to various terrains. Its nickel-based titanium memory alloy-made wheels allow them to quickly regain their shape after external force. The team recreated lunar stratigraphy using simulated lunar soil with properties similar to real lunar regolith, effectively replicating conditions on the Moon’s surface.3,4
10 Real Robots that could Green Light Asteroid Space Mining
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Robot Cat for Asteroid Mining
A group of researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robot capable of leaping across low-gravity, rugged asteroid surfaces, potentially transforming small celestial body exploration. The robot was inspired by a cat's ability to twist and land on its paws.5,6
Researchers used reinforcement learning to train the robot to correct its posture mid-air with its legs. Unlike conventional systems with heavy stabilization hardware, the robot employs a “model-free” control system, allowing coordinated movement of its four legs to adjust its tilt and reorient mid-air to face a new direction. Conventional wheeled rovers face challenges in such environments, as the weak gravity offers insufficient traction for wheels.5,6
To overcome this, scientists propose using jumping robots for future missions. However, this introduces new challenges as each jump lasts around 10 seconds, during which small imbalances in leg force cause uncontrolled spinning/cause the robot to bounce off the surface and drift into space. This innovation addresses the challenge of maintaining leg force balance in low-gravity environments, preventing uncontrolled spinning, bouncing off surfaces, or a crash landing.5,6
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In the low-gravity environment of small celestial bodies, robots experience prolonged free-fall during each jump. It is crucial to use this time to adjust the yaw angle to modify the robot's future trajectory/adjust jump-induced altitude deviations to ensure a safe landing.5,6
Researchers used reinforcement learning (proximal policy optimization) to train the robot in a virtual simulation. The AI refined its movements through trial and error over seven hours for stable landings, correcting pitch, roll, and yaw within seconds. The robot could stabilize from a 140° forward tilt in eight seconds and rotate mid-air by 90° to adjust its direction.5,6
A microgravity simulation platform using air suspension technology was developed to test quadrupedal robots in a low-gravity environment. The robot floated on a near-frictionless surface, confirming the system's effectiveness with minimal onboard computational power. The lightweight, energy-efficient design proved ideal for deep-space exploration despite being limited to two-dimensional motion.5,6
The system has potential applications in scientific exploration and asteroid mining based on the results. However, the team noted that further work is needed to enhance the AI's adaptability to different terrains and environments for broader use.5,6
SCAR-E
Asteroid Mining Corp., based in London, has developed the Space Capable Asteroid Robotic Explorer (SCAR-E), a six-legged, versatile robot designed for Earth and space exploration. Initially aimed for commercial use, SCAR-E can scale walls, inspect ship hulls, and navigate harsh terrains that four-legged robots like Boston Dynamics' Spot cannot.7,8
Its robust design allows it to withstand extreme conditions, including lunar regolith dust, radiation, and temperature fluctuations, making it ideal for space missions. Scalable up to 20 times its original size, SCAR-E will support extraterrestrial exploration, mining, and in-orbit asset maintenance, such as spacewalks. Unlike wheeled rovers, SCAR-E's six legs and grippers provide superior adaptability to uneven environments, making it suitable for a wide range of space mining tasks.8
The Future of Robotics in Space Mining
The future of space mining holds great promise as advancements in robotics continue to evolve. Innovations such as screw-powered robots with holonomic motion control, which utilize independently controlled Archimedes screws, could enable autonomous mining on celestial bodies with unparalleled mobility.9,10
As robots become more capable of adapting to challenging environments like low-gravity terrains and extreme conditions, the potential for efficient resource extraction will increase. Further developments in AI, reinforcement learning, and bionic designs will equip robots to handle microgravity, terrain variation, and other complexities of space mining. These breakthroughs suggest that space mining will soon become vital to sustainable resource management and future space exploration.
Space mining holds significant potential for sustainable resource extraction and advancing space exploration. By developing advanced robotics, such as multifunctional robots, AI-powered systems, and versatile designs like SCAR-E, future missions will be better equipped to navigate and extract resources from challenging celestial environments.
References and Further Reading
- Demirer, E. (2023). What is Space Mining And Space Resources. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372907391_WHAT_IS_SPACE_MINING_AND_SPACE_RESOURCES
- Sachdeva, R. et al. (2021). Robotic Vision for Space Mining. ArXiv. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2109.12109, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354950226_Robotic_Vision_for_Space_Mining
- Mansfield, S. (2025). Chinese scientists unveil six-legged robot for future asteroid and lunar mining [Online] Available at https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinese_scientists_unveil_six_legged_robot_for_future_asteroid_and_lunar_mining_999.html (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- China unveils first homegrown space mining robot [Online] Available at https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202503/1330219.shtml (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- Sankaran, V. (2024) Robot cat built to always stick landing could revolutionise asteroid mining, scientists say [Online] Available at https://www.independent.co.uk/space/robot-cat-china-asteroid-mining-b2661120.html (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- Xin, L. (2024) This robot jumps and lands like a cat. It could be used to explore asteroids [Online] Available at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3288131/robot-jumps-and-lands-cat-it-could-be-used-explore-asteroids (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- Werner, D. (2023) UK’s Asteroid Mining Corp. unveils SCAR-E robot [Online] Available at https://spacenews.com/uks-asteroid-mining-corp-unveils-scar-e-robot/ (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- Space Capable Asteroid Robotics Explorer (SCAR-E) [Online] Available at https://www.asteroidminingcorporation.co.uk/scar-e (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- Dixit, M. (2024) Screw-powered robot for autonomous space mining may traverse uneven terrain of moon [Online] Available at https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/screw-powered-robot-tallinn-university (Accessed on 27 March 2025)
- Gkliva, R., Remmas, W., Godon, S., Rebane, J., Ochs, K., Kruusmaa, M., & Ristolainen, A. (2024). A multi-terrain robot prototype with archimedean screw actuators: design, realisation, modelling, and control. IEEE Access. DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3426105, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10591748
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