TransAstra outlines plan to bag and relocate an asteroid
TransAstra envisions a feasibility study to capture a ~100-ton near-Earth asteroid with a large inflatable bag, tow it to a nearby space processing hub (potentially at the Earth-Sun L2 point) to harvest water and minerals for in-space use, and build a robotic facility for materials processing. The plan would target up to 250 small asteroids (≤20 m) over the next decade, with a fully funded mission possible as early as 2028–2029. The project has tested a 1 m capture bag on the ISS, won NASA funding to scale to a 10 m bag, and is pursuing various spacecraft providers for rendezvous. Initial cost is described as a few hundred million dollars.
