China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) plans to step up research into space resource development, focusing on technologies for surveying and extracting materials from minor planets, the company said on Thursday.

Asteroids and other minor planets are difficult to mine because of their weak gravity and unpredictable surfaces, requiring mining robots to be specially designed for such conditions.

Researchers at China University of Mining and Technology last year developed China's first space mining robot, designed to work in near-weightless conditions and survive sharp temperature swings and radiation in space.

The robot has six legs, three with claws and three with wheels. On rocky ground or loose soil, it uses its clawed legs, fitted with sharp metal claws, to grip the surface while collecting samples. Each clawed leg can generate a holding force of up to 200 newtons. Therefore, three legs working together can reach 600 newtons. Meanwhile, the wheeled legs are used to move faster on smoother terrain.

Operating in microgravity is only one of several challenges facing space mining. Other hurdles include on-site resource use, power supply, equipment transport, and deep-space communication.

The robot runs on electricity, and researchers are exploring ways to extract and convert materials on-site so the energy produced can power the robot and other devices.

In the early stages of space resource development, the moon and asteroids are seen as the most viable targets.

In May 2025, China launched its first asteroid exploration mission, the Tianwen-2 probe. It will take about a year for it to reach the near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3, study it up close, and collect more than 100 grams of samples before returning to Earth. After delivering the samples, Tianwen-2 will embark on a seven-year journey to study the main-belt comet 311P at close range.

These efforts are aimed at both studying how space evolved and exploring its potential for resource development, as space resources attract growing attention for their potential value.

One example is helium-3 in lunar soil, a material seen as promising for future nuclear fusion. In 2023, the United States also launched a mission to explore 16 Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid between Mars and Jupiter, believed to contain large quantities of metals such as platinum, gold and nickel.

Beyond space resource development, CASC is also pursuing space tourism and space-based computing infrastructure.