Optical Mining™

Optical Mining™ technology uses concentrated sunlight to excavate and extract propellant feedstocks from volatile-rich asteroids, moons, and planetary surfaces. The Apis™ Spacecraft™  architecture enables massive cost reduction for deep space human exploration within a decade.

Optical Mining Test Bed

The Optical Mining™ Test Bed (OMTB) is the basis for developing and eventually mastering Optical Mining technology. The OMTB has been developed in partnership with the Colorado School of Mines and simulates the vacuum of space. The system uses simulated asteroid materials to demonstrate and ensure the viability of the optical mining process. The OMTB makes use of the world’s largest bulb to simulate light from the sun, which is then precision focused onto the test object. By running controlled tests on earth, TransAstra can develop the procedures and techniques to be used in space, especially in the flight demonstrations. 

Optical Mining™ technology uses concentrated light to excavate and extract propellant feedstocks from volatile-rich asteroids, moons, and planetary surfaces. The OMTB simulates the working environment of Optical Mining by mimicking several aspects of space. First, the test chamber is held in a near vacuum similar to that of space. Next, the light is concentrated from a 32 kW xenon bulb, which is able to achieve a light output comparable to that expected on the Mini Bee™ spacecraft. This system allows TransAstra to perfect Optical Mining on Earth before sending anything into space.