Mining beyond Earth with Space Robots: Exploration, Sampling, and Extraction

2026-08-21

AI Summary

本文探讨了利用自主机器人系统解决太空采矿问题，包括探索、采样和提取资源，并提出了六个阶段的架构以实现高效低成本的太空资源获取。

Abstract

Space resource acquisition and utilization, commonly referred to as Space Mining, represent critical pathways for enabling sustained human exploration and unlocking commercial opportunities in space. These resources mainly include helium-3, water, mineral resources on the Moon and Mars, and abundant mineral deposits on asteroids. Due to the harsh conditions of space, communication delays, and high launch costs, the development of autonomous robotic systems is critical to achieving efficient, cost-effective space mining. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of space mining robotics and associated technologies. First, we review the background of space mining, including international policies, commercial entities, and recent advancements. We define a systematic six-stage architecture for space mining: Exploration is initiated by (1) remote sensing for target identification and (2) precise in situ robotic detection; Sampling progresses from (3) single-robot small-scale sampling to (4) multi-robot large-scale excavation; and Extraction integrates (5) autonomous resource extraction and (6) final integration into in situ construction or terrestrial transport. Additionally, we review and curate existing resources for space mining research, including real-world mission data, terrestrial analog datasets, and high-fidelity simulation environments. Finally, we identify critical open challenges in autonomous space mining and delineate a strategic research roadmap to bridge current technological gaps, fostering the transition toward a sustainable off-world economy. To track ongoing developments in space mining, we maintain an updated project page: https://github.com/OpenSpace-Lab/Space-Mining-with-Robotics-List.

Problem

• Space Mining
• Autonomous Robotic Systems
• Resource Acquisition

Innovation

• autonomous robotic systems
• space mining architecture
• sustainable off-world economy