The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has signed a $700,000 contract with a Canadian company to develop a multi-purpose tool designed for mining on the moon and potentially other bodies in space.
Deltion Innovations Ltd., based in Northern Ontario, will work on the combination drill and rotary multi-use tool, or what the firm describes as a "space-age Swiss Army knife".
The tool, which would be installed on the end of a robotic arm, is designed to drill into rock and other materials to capture a variety of samples.
One of the device’s main goals is to be able to drill mine for water and ice on the moon or other celestial bodies. It would also be used in robotic construction, maintenance and repair tasks.
Testing will be conducted at the company’s test facility in Capreol.
After being considered mostly a science-fiction tale, governments are now rushing to implement programs and legislations that allow them join the race for mining in the space.
In November, President Barack Obama signed a law that grants U.S. citizens rights to own resources mined in space. The ground-breaking rule was touted as a major boost to asteroid mining because it encourages the commercial exploration and utilization of resources from asteroids obtained by US firms.
(Image: Deltion's DESTIN drill mounted on rover | Photo: provided)
And in February, Luxembourg launched an official initiative to promote the mining of asteroids for minerals. The tiny European country, which has been studying possible involvement in the sector since 2013, aims to become Europe’s centre for space mining.
Geologists as well as emerging companies, such as US-based Planetary Resources, a firm pioneering the space mining industry, believe asteroids are packed with iron ore, nickel and precious metals at much higher concentrations than those found on Earth, making up a market valued in the trillions of dollars.
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