Just after 7pm on February 26th, 2025, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted into space from its launch spot at Cape Canaveral.

These launches are fairly standard procedure now, with over 300 having been sent into space with a 98% success rate.

So why was this particular Falcon launch notable?

Well besides the 21 Starlink satellites inside the payload bay, the rocket was also transporting a ground-breaking new, private spacecraft named Odin – particularly special since it will be the first private spacecraft to attempt to travel into Deep Space.

Constructed by the ambitious young Asteroid Mining company AstroForge, based in Huntingdon Beach, California, the company aims to ultimately extract valuable minerals from other bodies in space, with Odin an important stepping stone towards this objective.

While Odin won’t actually be involved in mining asteroids, this spacecraft’s role is paramount in providing the company with the data required to make their goal a reality, as they state on their website:

“Odin’s role is to gather critical imagery of the target asteroid, preparing the way for our next mission, Vestri, which will aim to land on the asteroid and begin extraction.”

But why mine asteroids in the first place? Is it viable – or even ethical?

Well AstroForge claim that extracting minerals such as platinum metals from asteroids will actually be cheaper than the Earth-based methods we currently use, as well as being better for our planet and its environment, too.

Despite the obvious pollutants and emissions that result from rocket launches, as well as the high cost associated with actually launching spacecrafts, AstroForge reiterate on their website that their methods are actually better for our planet, as well as our economies:

“Every year, terrestrial mining for Platinum Group Metals contributes to the destruction of over 50,000 acres of pristine land and generates millions of tons of toxic waste.

Extracting these resources from asteroids is more cost-effective and results in zero impact on our planet, contributing to a greener and more profitable Earth.”

Though their targets are impressive, the company is still in an experimental phase, with Odin scheduled to target asteroid 2022 OB5, capturing images and valuable data of the target body.

According to a blog post on AstroForge’s website, success for the mission is twofold. Firstly, the company aims to actually send Odin into Deep Space (that is, the vast area of Space beyond our Moon).

However, this is easier said than done. Odin has been engineered in under 10 months, and is a huge test for the company. As their blog post explains, this – their second mission – could be hampered by any number of factors once the spacecraft has left Falcon 9:

“The first thing we need to do is to stop Odin’s tumble through space using a series of maneuvers with our reaction wheels to become stable. Once stable, we then need to become power positive, which means generating enough power from our solar panels to recharge the batteries and ensure our power systems are functional and can sustain a long–duration mission. This is done by using our sun sensors to determine the position of the sun relative to the spacecraft then commanding the vehicle to point the solar panels at the giant ball of fire in the sky.”

These are factors that cannot be tested on Earth – hence Odin is very much a trial-and-error mission for AstroForge, and unbroken communication with the spacecraft is critical.

Add to this that SpaceX can’t confirm exactly where and when they’ll drop off Odin, and the tricky picture becomes clear. AstroForge have to communicate with the rocket to adjust its trajectory once it is released from Falcon9 to ensure that it is on track and doesn’t head on a collision course with the Moon.

Should Odin actually reach Deep Space, the team’s secondary objective is to capture data on their target asteroid, named 2022 OB5.

This is likely to be a complex process, since the spacecraft will need to maintain communication with AstroForge’s base back on Earth. In order to capture the information the team require, they will need to install a software update on Odin – reliant on the small timeframe in which it passes a satellite dish based in Australia.

If this software update is a success, Odin will have the power and capabilities to capture data on 2022 OB5 so long as the team are able to identify and monitor its location in Deep Space. This is reliant on communication from dishes across the world, as well as the software and hardware remaining operational through the rest of this calendar year.

But if Odin does reach at least some of its targeted outcomes, a future in which our precious metals are obtained from space comes closer to reality.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read a story that reveals Earth’s priciest precious metal isn’t gold or platinum and costs over $10,000 an ounce!