AstroForge Details Shift to Electric Propulsion for Vestri Mission, Citing Enhanced Deep Space Capabilities

AstroForge, the California-based startup focused on asteroid mining, has shed light on its strategic decision to transition from chemical to electric propulsion for its upcoming Vestri mission. The company announced the detailed explanation in a recent podcast episode, stating, "Episode 37 dives into the details of why we chose chemical propulsion, and why we left it for electric propulsion." This shift underscores a significant advancement in the company's deep space exploration capabilities.

The move to electric propulsion is critical for the Vestri mission, which aims to rendezvous with and land on an asteroid to extract valuable platinum group metals. Unlike its predecessor, Odin, designed for an asteroid fly-by with a lower-power chemical system, Vestri's more ambitious landing objective necessitates the higher efficiency and sustained thrust provided by electric propulsion. This allows for thousands of hours of continuous thrust required for deep space maneuvers.

For this advanced propulsion system, AstroForge has partnered with Safran Defense & Space, Inc. (Safran DSI), which will supply two EPS®X00 electric propulsion systems. Robyn Ringuette, Chief Operating Officer of AstroForge, highlighted Safran's extensive experience, noting, "Many people claim to have a product nowadays, but we were totally impressed by Safran's 30 years' experience in electric propulsion." The Vestri spacecraft also features a significantly upgraded power system, including a 500Wh battery pack from Kulr, to support the increased power demands of electric thrusters and extended mission duration.

AstroForge's mission is to extract rare and in-demand resources like platinum group metals from asteroids, offering potential supply and environmental advantages over traditional Earth-based mining. The company's co-founder and CEO, Matt Gialich, has previously emphasized the economic viability of asteroid mining, citing reduced launch costs and advancements in space technology. This strategic upgrade in propulsion technology is a crucial step towards achieving their long-term vision of commercial space resource utilization.