NASA Explores High-Speed Flyby Spacecraft to Map Minerals Across Solar System

NASA is evaluating a new concept for reconnaissance spacecraft capable of mapping mineral resources on planetary bodies during rapid flybys, without landing or collecting samples. The proposal, led by Pablo Sobron Sanchez of the SETI Institute, relies on Raman spectroscopy to identify minerals at high speed from orbit. Target bodies include the Moon, asteroids, and the moons of Mars, where ice, ilmenite, ores, and volatile-bearing minerals would be surveyed. The concept aims to expand NASA's resource assessment capabilities across the solar system in a cost-effective and efficient manner.