Incoming asteroid piques interest of NASA, asteroid miners

Asteroid 4660 Nereus will be at the closest point to Earth it has been in 20 years next week, prompting both concern and excitement from NASA scientists.

Nereus has been classified as “potentially hazardous” because its size and proximity could be catastrophic if it were to strike the Earth. Scientists have been tracking it since its discovery in 1982. 

NASA defines a near-earth object as an asteroid or comet whose orbit brings it within “about 30 million miles (50 million kilometers) of Earth’s orbit.” Nereus will be coming within 2.5 million miles from Earth on Dec. 11, or about ten times the distance to the moon, making it very close by cosmic standards.

However, its close proximity also makes it easy to study and an ideal target for future spacecraft missions.

A 2009 paper outlined how the asteroid was “a prime space mission target” due to its uniform egg-like shape, stable north and south poles, and predictable orbit around the sun.

“Nereus is a strong candidate for a rendezvous mission,” concludes the paper’s researchers.

It has also renewed an interest in asteroid mining.

Asterank, an asteroid database, lists Nereus as one of the most cost-effective targets for mining for mineral resources. It values the nickel, iron, and cobalt that make up the asteroid at $4.71 billion.

Asteroid mining first gained popularity in the early 2010s. It’s viability is up for debate, but the rise of commercial space flights from providers like SpaceX and Blue Origin has helped revitalize discussion.