Asteroid mining has gained prominence in recent years due to the potential of asteroid bodies harbouring precious metals and resources. Mining activities come nonetheless with a set of logistical and operational challenges, such as the ability to position mining elements accurately and within an acceptable time frame. Earth-based navigation solutions suffer from systematic errors and time delays, and ground stations may become congested as increasingly more satellites are launched, making this approach unsustainable in the long term. Thus, novel navigation solutions have to be investigated. The paper provides a feasibility analysis for positioning in the Asteroid Main Belt by using triangulation from Lagrange points with the aim of supporting commercial asteroid mining activities. A framework is defined in which the space elements in charge of the execution and space logistics of asteroid mining are introduced. For supporting such complex mission operations and element coordination, a Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) network is thereafter proposed. This underlying SCaN infrastructure should provide the NoMaD elements with accurate real-time position determination and allows for the mining constellation to communicate with the Earth and internally, among NoMaD members. The feasibility study is carried out to select the locations of the SCaN network which guarantee geometrical triangulation within a desirable accuracy for the highest percentage of time in the Main Asteroid Belt region, by considering three NoMaDs on different orbits. Results show that a combination of the Sun-Mars and Sun-Jupiter systems’ libration points provides the best overall solution. Next, considerations regarding the system design are described. The paper concludes with a summary of the information presented, where relevant aspects for future analysis are identified. Note that this is an independent study and not related to, supported or sponsored by NASA’s SCaN Program, although an overlap in terminology does exist.     «

Asteroid mining has gained prominence in recent years due to the potential of asteroid bodies harbouring precious metals and resources. Mining activities come nonetheless with a set of logistical and operational challenges, such as the ability to position mining elements accurately and within an acceptable time frame. Earth-based navigation solutions suffer from systematic errors and time delays, and ground stations may become congested as increasingly more satellites are launched, making this...    »