1 IAC - 14 - D 2 . 8 - A 5 . 4 . 1 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR NASA ’ s ASTEROID REDIRECT MISSION

NASA is developing concepts for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which would use a robotic spacecraft to capture a small near-Earth asteroid, or remove a boulder from the surface of a larger asteroid, and redirect it into a stable orbit around the moon. Astronauts launched aboard the Orion crew capsule and the Space Launch System rocket would rendezvous with the captured asteroid mass in lunar orbit, and collect samples for return to Earth. This mission will advance critical technologies needed for human exploration in cis-lunar space and beyond. The ARM could also demonstrate the initial capabilities for defending our planet against the threat of catastrophic asteroid impacts. NASA projects are maturing the technologies for enabling the ARM, which include high-power solar electric propulsion, asteroid capture systems, optical sensors for asteroid rendezvous and characterization, advanced space suits and EVA tools, and the utilization of asteroid resources. Many of the technologies being developed for the ARM may also have commercial applications such as satellite servicing and asteroid mining.