DeepSpace-2 (Vestri)
A 200 kg AstroForge spacecraft built to reach a metal-rich asteroid and photograph it up close, as a scouting step toward mining. It is assembled and waiting for a rideshare launch.
Why it matters
AstroForge says DeepSpace-2 would be the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous with an asteroid. Its CEO puts the whole mission, launch included, at under $10.5 million.
How the technology works
Announced in 2024 as Vestri, the spacecraft is now called DeepSpace-2. It uses Safran Hall-effect electric thrusters fed with xenon and generates about 2 kW from solar arrays, enough to keep working if only one array deploys.
It rides the Falcon 9 carrying Intuitive Machines' IM-3 lander, uses the Moon's gravity to head out, and is meant to image a near-Earth metallic asteroid's shape, surface and likely makeup with a high-resolution camera.