TransAstra eyes 100-ton asteroid as a robotic space factory hub

TransAstra is studying the feasibility of moving a 100-ton asteroid into a stable near-Earth orbit to create a robotic outpost for materials processing and manufacturing in space, in a project called New Moon. The effort, with partners including UCF, Purdue, Caltech, and NASA JPL, would identify suitable asteroids, chart trajectories, and deploy spacecraft for rendezvous expected in 2028–2029, followed by hundreds of robotic missions through the 2030s to aggregate up to a million tons of asteroid material for space industrialization. The company has NASA funding for inflatable Capture Bags demonstrated in space and aims to enable in-space resources like metals and water to reduce Earth-launched requirements, advancing a broader asteroid-mining technology base.