ISRU on Hypothesized Surfaces – Psyche Miners

INSTITUTION

Arizona State University (ASU)

CLASS

Platinum Class (2025 – 2026)

STUDENT TEAM

ACADEMIC GUIDANCE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This project designs an integrated system for collecting, transporting, detecting, and sorting metallic ores in low-gravity environments like asteroid Psyche. It uses magnetic stabilization and a conveyor mechanism to prevent material drift during handling. An eddy current-based sensing unit identifies metals by analyzing their electromagnetic response. The signals are processed and classified using a microcontroller, which directs materials into separate storage compartments. The system demonstrates a scalable solution for automated material handling in space and similar industrial applications.

This work was created in partial fulfillment of the Arizona State University Capstone Course “EEE 489.” The work is a result of the Psyche Student Collaborations component of NASA’s Psyche Mission (https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu). “Psyche: A Journey to a Metal World” [Contract number NNM16AA09C] is part of the NASA Discovery Program mission to solar system targets. Trade names and trademarks of ASU and NASA are used in this work for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by Arizona State University or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of ASU or NASA.