Chinese company launches prototype space mining spacecraft

GUANGZHOU, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A prototype space mining spacecraft was sent into its planned orbit on Tuesday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.

The spacecraft NEO-01, developed by Chinese commercial aerospace company Origin Space Co., Ltd., was among a total of nine satellites sent into space by a Long March-6 rocket on Tuesday.

Su Meng, founder of Origin Space, said experiments will be carried out to test the spacecraft's capabilities in asteroid mining and space debris removal.

Su added that NEO-01 will serve as a prototype of future space mining robots, which can use rich mineral resources on asteroids to support the development of the space industry.

Founded in 2019 and based in the southern Chinese tech hub Shenzhen, Origin Space has been dedicated to exploring and utilizing space resources, according to the company.