Tencent Music Entertainment launches new 'Business Intelligence for

First published: 13 July 2022

Last updated: 14 July 2022

Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) has announced a new initiative for artists and labels.

The new service, TME Business Intelligence for Artists (TME BI for Artists), allows music labels and artists to access real-time data on charts and sales performance, as well as observe broader music industry trends. With a catalogue of millions of tracks, TME BI for Artists updates data 150 times a day by data mining across multiple platforms. Through the analysis of data, labels and artists get to understand the listening habits and preferences of their fans.

TME BI for Artists also develops industry reviews and in-depth analysis reports on a regular basis. These fresh insights help industry players navigate the evolving music market, thus improving the efficiency of music creation, promotion, and distribution in the long run.

Earlier this week, the Chinese music company launched a new Producers Alliance which seeks to support artists in the field of music production.

TME BI for Artists is now available on both WeChat and its official website here.

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Tencent Music Entertainment launches new 'Business Intelligence for Artists' initiative to provide real-time music data for artists and labels -...

Every 23 seconds, another American is diagnosed with diabetes. This skyrocketing incidence became even more apparent amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as those with diabetes experienced high rates of severe illness and mortality, in ways scientists still dont fully understand. In 2021, diabetes-related deaths jumped by 15% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The financial consequences are equally staggering. One estimate calculates the total economic effect of diabetes and prediabetes at $400B+ annually.

And yet, there is no coordinated strategy to address this growing crisis.

The current insulin pricing discussion is proof of our piecemeal approach. Those with type 1 diabetes (~5% of the total diabetes population) need it to survive, while many with type 2 rely on insulin to manage their blood sugar. Tragically, one in four Americans with diabetes report rationing this life-saving drug because they cannot afford it.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle are rightfully eager to make insulin more affordable. The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month and take other steps to ensure affordable access. Senators Shaheen and Collins have just introduced a bipartisan companion, and we hope that Congress will find an agreement to send to the President in the coming months.

That said, the system is critically ill, and making insulin more affordable is a bit like putting a band-aid over a bullet wound. Policymakers should simultaneously support diabetes reversal treatments that help patients normalize blood sugar levels while reducing or eliminating the need for insulin.

This might seem antithetical to standard metabolic disease care. Typically, diabetes is treated as a chronic, progressive illness that requires increasing levels of medications to stave off complications.

But the status quo is shifting. There are new, evidence-based treatments proven to reverse the progression of diabetes and prediabetes, empowering patients to achieve remission and ditch their insulin and other diabetes medications. Just last year, an international consensus report from medical and scientific experts defined diabetes remission criteria and acknowledged diabetes reversalthe process of restoring blood sugar to normal levels without medicationsfor the first time.

So, how can the American healthcare system support patients who wish to put their condition in remission? We recommend these steps:

Critically, improving population-level diabetes treatment and prevention offers an enormous opportunity to address the disproportionate burden of diabetes on underserved and minority populations. With health equity taking center stage, implementing a strategic plan to combat diabetes would create concrete measures for success.

In closing, capping patient insulin prices will not affect the unsustainable trajectory of the type 2 diabetes epidemic in America. Ironically, it may even result in a cost shift, where gross prices and premiums change to recover the lost revenue.

Until resources are dedicated to broadening access to treatments that help reverse diabetes, we will continue to fight a losing battle. It is time to shift the conversation, incentives, and policy solutions to help people improve their health and get off of medicationsnot just make them cheaper.

Photo: Maksim Luzgin, Getty Images

Continued here:

Lowering insulin prices isn't the (only) answer to helping patients with diabetes - MedCity News

Mayor of San Francisco admits her city needs to adjust to new reality that many workers will not return to working in an office

The mayor of San Francisco has denied there has been an exodus from her city, but admits a large change is impacting local businesses.

Speaking to CNBCs The News with Shepard Smith last Friday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said her city will have to adjust to the new reality that many workers arent coming back to the office.

Remote and home working became the norm for millions of workers around the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. And many workers are opting not to return to the office, but instead continue working from home, or adopt a hybrid working pattern.

The San Francisco Bay area is home to many big name tech firms, and the city itself took a $400 million hit to its tax revenues in 2021, as businesses moved to other cities and shifted to remote working, CNBC reported.

Mayor London Breed acknowledged that tech workers have been slower to return to physical spaces in San Francisco than in other major cities.

I wouldnt call this an exodus. I would call it a change, Breed said. Weve experienced a global pandemic. People have been working from home. And I think that most employees want some level of work from home as they returned to the office. And a lot of employers are providing that as an option.

According to CNBC, the office vacancy rate in San Francisco rose to 24.2 percent in the second quarter from 23.8 percent in the prior period, according to CBRE research.

Mayor Breeds office estimates that one-third of San Franciscos workforce is now remote and outside of the city.

Last year, that resulted in a $400 million hit to tax revenue, according to San Franciscos Office of the Controller.

Of course Im worried about the trend, but again, you know, this was a global pandemic where life has changed, Breed said.

San Francisco and indeed the US state of California, is also having to contend with big name tech firms relocating to other US states.

Elon Musk has repeatedly warned about Californias overtaxation and overegulation and overlitigation as reasons for companies relocating away to other states such as Texas or Florida.

In December 2020, Musk announced he had personally left California after he had sold his Bel Air homes.

Musk personally relocated to Texas, after living in Los Angeles for 20 years.

Then in October 2021 he followed through on his warning, after clashing repeatedly with Californian officials last year, and also moved Teslas corporate headquarters to Texas.

Other tech giants such as Oracle moved its corporate headquarters from California, and relocate it to Texas.

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE), one of the founding fathers of Californias tech homeland of Silicon Valley, also revealed it was leaving the golden state and moving its headquarters to Texas.

A number of other firms have already left the San Francisco Bay Area, including data-mining provider Palantir Technologies, which moved to Denver from Palo Alto.

E-cigarette maker Juul Labs also relocated to Washington from San Francisco, and Charles Schwab said its headquarters will move from San Francisco to Westlake, Texas.

Texas is already home for other tech firms such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Dell, among others.

Salesforce, one of San Franciscos largest private employer, said this week it is cutting its San Francisco office space for the third time during the pandemic, and is now listing 40 percent of a 43-story building thats across the street from the main Salesforce Tower.

But, not every major tech firm is cutting back.

Firms such as Autodesk, Google and Twilio have expanded their office space in San Francisco in recent years.

Continued here:

San Francisco Mayor Admits City Has To Adjust To Remote Working Reality - Silicon UK

PERTH, Western Australia, July 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perseus Mining Limited (ASX/TSX: PRU) has completed a Feasibility Study on the Nkosuo Project, located approximately seven kilometres north-northwest of its Edikan Gold Mine in Ghana, adding substantial Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves to Edikans previously published inventory.

HIGHLIGHTS

Nkosuo Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources as at 30 June 2022

1 Refer to Notes in the individual tables of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.

Nkosuo Proved and Probable Ore Reserves as at 30 June 2022

1 Refer to Notes in the individual tables of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.

Perseuss Managing Director and CEO Jeff Quartermaine said:

The addition of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves from the Nkosuo Project adds significantly to the mine life at Edikan Gold Mine, ensuring operations can continue while Perseus conducts further exploration on the recently acquired Agyakusu Exploration Permit and two other adjoining Exploration Permits that are under option to Perseus. We believe that the discovery of additional Ore Reserves in trucking distance of existing infrastructure is the most cost effective means available to Perseus of creating value for shareholders. With this objective, further exploration on the nearby tenements will be well funded by Perseus and we are optimistic of discovering further deposits of a similar scale to Nkosuo that will further add to the mine life of the Edikan operation.

OVERVIEW OF NKOSUO

Nkosuo is located in Ghana, West Africa, approximately 40 kilometres southwest of the regional town of Obuasi, 200 kilometres west-northwest of the capital Accra and seven kilometres to the north-northwest of Perseuss Edikan Gold Mine near the town of Ayanfuri.

A Feasibility Study has been completed on the development of mineralisation discovered by Perseus at Nkosuo resulting in the estimation of an Ore Reserve of 332,000 ounces (contained) producing 272,000 ounces (recovered) over three years of mining. All in site costs (AISCs) are expected to be in the range of US$870-US$890 per ounce for Nkosuo.

The area of the Nkosuo Project is underlain principally by Paleoproterozoic Birimian flysch-type metasediments consisting of dacitic volcaniclastics, greywackes plus argillaceous (phyllitic) sediments, intensely folded, faulted and metamorphosed to upper greenschist facies. Numerous small Basin-type or Cape Coast-type granite bodies have intruded the sediments along several regional structures.

The Nkosuo Project comprises mineralisation hosted by a single north-northeast striking granitoid body measuring at least 600 metres along strike, typically 250 metres horizontal width and dipping approximately 75 degrees toward west-northwest.

Nkosuo will be mined in a single open pit, with a waste dump located to the west of the pit as shown in Figure 1. Ore from the pit will be trucked on a dedicated haul road to the Edikan processing plant for co-processing with ores from existing Edikan open pits and stockpiles.

MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATES

The Mineral Resource estimates are reported in accordance with the 2012 Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code). The classification categories of Measured, Indicated and Inferred under the JORC Code are equivalent to the CIM categories of the same names (CIM, 2014).

For a comprehensive description of the Nkosuo Mineral Resource estimates, refer to the JORC tables included in Appendix 1. The currently estimated Mineral Resources at Nkosuo are summarised in Table 1 and 2 below.

Table1: Nkosuo Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources 30 June 2022 1,2

Table2: Nkosuo Inferred Mineral Resources 30 June 2022 2

Notes:

1. Indicated Mineral Resources are inclusive of Ore Reserves.2. Rounding of numbers to appropriate precisions may have resulted in apparent inconsistencies.3. Based on June 2022 Mineral Resource model constrained to US$1,800/oz pit shell.0.3g/t gold cut-off applied to in situ material.

GEOLOGY

The Nkosuo project is an addition to the Edikan group of gold deposits that occur near the western flank of the Ashanti Greenstone Belt in south-western Ghana. The regional geology of the Edikan property is underlain principally by Paleoproterozoic Birimian metasediments of the Kumasi-Afema basin, positioned between the Ashanti and Sefwi Greenstone Belts.

Nkosuo is a granite-hosted orogenic gold deposit with structurally controlled mineralisation occurring with disseminated pyrite-arsenopyrite mineralisation associated with quartz veining and sericite alteration within the granite. The surrounding metasedimentary rocks are almost entirely devoid of mineralisation.

The granitoid body at Nkosuo hosting the gold mineralisation strikes north-northeast with an identified length of 600 metres along strike and typically 250 metres in horizontal width that dips 75 degrees towards the west-northwest. Drilling has confirmed that the granitoid body is continuous to at least 350 metres vertical depth below surface. The entire granite is not mineralised throughout but drilling to date indicates substantial zones of gold mineralisation up to 100 metres horizontal width.

DRILLING TECHNIQUES

Nkosuo Mineral Resources are delineated by 222 drill holes for a total of 36,982 metres comprised of reverse circulation (RC) and diamond core drill holes drilled by Perseus since 2021. The global Nkosuo Mineral Resource estimates are informed entirely by Perseus drilling with a breakdown by sample type of 43% RC and 57% diamond. This ratio changes for the Mineral Resource constrained within the US$1,800 pit optimisation to 22% RC and 77% diamond. RC drilling used face-sampling hammers with 139-millimetre hole diameter and the diamond core was HQ in the weathered material which changed to NQ2 in the fresh material.

Drill hole collar locations have been surveyed by qualified surveyors. Both RC and diamond core holes were down-hole surveyed at nominal 30 metre intervals.

Orientation of most drill holes at Nkosuo is approximately perpendicular to the strike of mineralisation. Drilling has occurred at 20 metres spacing on 40 metre spaced traverses with holes generally dipping at -55 degrees towards 119 degrees azimuth with partial infill to 20 metres by 20 metres in places. Drill coverage generally extends to about 150 metres vertical depth and to a maximum depth of about 380 metres.

SAMPLING

RC drill samples were collected at drill sites at 1metre intervals and split using multi-stage riffle splitters. For the majority of Perseuss drilling, each two consecutive samples were composited into one sample for assaying. Sample weights were nominally 2.5kilograms and 5kilograms for 1 metre and 2 metre samples respectively.

Diamond core was sawn in half using a diamond blade saw, with the right-hand half sent for assaying and the left-hand half stored in core trays for reference. Samples were normally taken at 1 metre intervals.

RC drill samples were logged visually for recovery, sample condition (i.e., dry, damp, wet) and contamination. Sample condition logs are available for 96% of RC samples within the mineralised granite. Recovered sample weights are available for 64% of RC samples and RC sample recoveries ranged from an estimated 46% for highly weathered to 80% for fresh material. Diamond core recoveries were measured linearly per drill run. Core recoveries averaged 67% in weathered materials and 98% in fresh rock. There is no indication of a relationship between gold grades and RC/Diamond sample recoveries.

SAMPLE ANALYTICAL METHODS

All sample preparation and assaying was carried out by commercial laboratories; no sample preparation was undertaken by Perseus. Preparation of core and RC samples followed a standard path of drying at 105 degrees Celsius for at least 12 hours, crushing the entire sample to 85% passing -2 millimetres and grinding a 1.5 kilogram split to 85% passing 75 microns. 300gram pulp subsamples are selected by multiple scoop passes.

All RC and diamond core samples have been assayed by 50-gram fire assay with AAS determination by Intertek Testing Services Ghana at their Tarkwa assay laboratory. The technique is considered a total extraction technique

Perseuss quality assurance and quality control QAQC procedures included submission of coarse blanks inserted at 1 in 20, certified reference standards at 1 in 20, internal laboratory standards, duplicates and repeats.

ESTIMATION METHODOLOGY OPEN PIT MINERAL RESOURCES

Mineral Resources were estimated by Multiple Indicator Kriging (MIK) of 2 metre down-hole composited gold grades from RC and diamond drilling. Compositing and wireframing were performed using Micromine software. Exploratory data analysis, variogram calculation and modelling, and resource estimation were performed using FSSI Consultants (Australia) Pty Ltd (FSSI) GS3M software.

A total of 10 holes were excluded from the estimate due to hole twinning to prevent clustering effects in the estimates which represented approximately 3% of the mineralised domain composites being excluded.

Mineralised domains used for resource estimation delineate zones within which the tenor and spatial trends of mineralisation are similar. Sample data were also separated into sub-domains representing weathering horizons using surfaces provided by Perseus. Grade continuity was characterised by indicator variograms modelled at 14 indicator thresholds. At Nkosuo, class grades were derived from class mean grades with the exception of upper bin grades which were derived from class medians.

The above approaches to treatment of high grades reduces the impact of small numbers of extreme grades on estimates of resources.

At Nkosuo, Mineral Resources were estimated into panels with dimensions 20 metres x 20 metres x 5 metres (X, Y, Z), approximating the drill hole spacing in the closer spaced parts of the drill pattern.

The estimates include variance adjustments to provide estimates of recoverable resources expected to be recoverable by open pit mining on the scale presently practiced at Edikan.

CRITERIA FOR RESOURCE CLASSIFICATION

Nkosuo estimates were classified as Indicated and Inferred based on the data collected (geology, survey and assaying data), the density of data, and the confidence in the geological model and mineralisation model. Indicated resources are informed by drilling spaced at up to 40 metres by 40 metres and Inferred resources are on the peripheries of drilling out to a maximum distance of approximately 40 metres from drilling.

CUT-OFF GRADE

The cut-off grade of 0.3g/t gold for the stated open pit Mineral Resource estimates reflects economic parameters deriving from current and anticipated mining practices at Nkosuo and a gold price of US$1,800/oz.

REASONABLE PROSPECTS FOR EVENTUAL ECONOMIC EXTRACTION

Mineral Resources are reported within an optimal pit shell generated using cost and revenue parameters in the Nkosuo Feasibility Study and a gold price of US$1,800/oz.

ORE RESERVE ESTIMATE

The Ore Reserve is summarised below in Table 3 and is based on the Nkosuo Mineral Resources as at 30 June 2022. Ore Reserves are reported in accordance with the JORC Code and are reported by category, deposit and type, above variable cut-off grades. The classification categories of Proved and Probable under the JORC Code are equivalent to the CIM Proven Mineral Reserve and Probable Mineral Reserve categories respectively (CIM, 2010). Appendix 1 provides the JORC Table 1 criteria for the Nkosuo Ore Reserves.

The Probable Ore Reserves for Nkosuo are estimated as 10.0 Mt grading 1.04 g/t gold, containing 332,000 ounces of gold, with no Proved Ore Reserves currently identified.

Table 3: Nkosuo Proved and Probable Ore Reserves as at 30 June 2022

Notes:1.Based on Mineral Resource Estimates which were current at 30 June 2022. 2. Variable gold grade cut-off for each material type, ranging from 0.35 g/t to 0.45 g/t. 3. Inferred Mineral Resource is considered as waste. 4. Rounding of numbers to appropriate precisions may have resulted in apparent inconsistencies.

ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS

Table 4: Assumed average operating costs

Notes:1. Royalties are 6.5% plus an additional $2/Reserve oz discovery bonus payable to Adio Mabas Group.

OPEN PIT MINING PARAMETERS

Table 5: Open Pit Cut-Off Grades

PROCESSING PARAMETERS

Table 6: Metallurgical Recoveries by Material Type and Pit

STOCKPILE PARAMETERS

It is assumed that all Ore Reserve material is mined and fed to the processing plant during Edikans mine life based on the material blending schedule and all the material is rehandled on the ROM stockpile. Stockpiles of Nkosuo low grade material that remain unprocessed at the end of mine life are excluded from Ore Reserves.

CRITERIA FOR ORE RESERVE CLASSIFICATION

Ore Reserves have been classified based on the underlying Mineral Resource classifications and a Feasibility level study for the Nkosuo project. Mineral Resources were classified as Indicated and Inferred. The Ore Reserves, based only on the Indicated Resources, have been classified as Probable Ore Reserves, respectively.

The Ore Reserve is classified as Probable in accordance with the JORC Code, corresponding to the Mineral Resource classification of Indicated and taking into account other modifying factors where relevant. The deposits geological model is well constrained. The Ore Reserve classification is considered appropriate given the nature of the deposit, the moderate grade variability, drilling density, structural complexity and mining and processing history of similar deposits at Edikan. Therefore, it was deemed appropriate to use Indicated Mineral Resources as a basis for Probable Ore Reserves.

No Inferred Mineral Resources were included in the Ore Reserve estimate.

NEXT STEPS

This announcement was approved for release by Managing Director and CEO, Jeff Quartermaine.

Competent Person Statement:

The information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources for Nkosuo is based on information compiled by Mr Gary Brabham, a Competent Person who is a Fellow of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr Brabham was until 1 July 2022 a full-time employee and is currently a consultant of Perseus Mining. Mr Brabham has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activities which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101. Mr Brabham consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

The information in this report that relates to Ore Reserves for the Nkosuo deposit is based on information compiled by Mr Adrian Ralph, a Competent Person who is a Fellow of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Ralph is a full-time employee of Perseus Mining. Mr Ralph has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activities which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101. Mr Ralph consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information:

This report contains forward-looking information which is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management of the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made by the Company regarding, among other things: the price of gold, continuing commercial production at the Sissingu Gold Mine, the Edikan Gold Mine and the Yaour Gold Mine without any major disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, the receipt of required governmental approvals, the accuracy of capital and operating cost estimates, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used by the Company. Although management believes that the assumptions made by the Company and the expectations represented by such information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the actual market price of gold, the actual results of current exploration, the actual results of future exploration, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. The Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the Companys ability to carry on its exploration and development activities, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Perseus does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

JORC TABLE 1 NKOSUO PROJECT

Quality control procedures included submission of coarse blanks (1:20) and certified reference standards (1:20).

The Competent Person has analysed the available information indicates that the assaying of RC and core samples is free from any significant biases and is of acceptable accuracy.

JORC 2012 Table 1 Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section)

A further 0.5% of nett revenue is required to be paid to a local community development fund.

The Nkosuo prospect area is not affected by sites of historical or environmental significance. Ongoing drilling to delineate a resource requires negotiation of access agreements with farmers and payment of compensation for affected crops. Exploitation of the deposit will require an environmental and social impact assessment, community consultation and the grant of an Exploitation Permit. Nkosuo is located 7km from the Edikan mine processing plant.

The Nkosuo deposit comprises mineralisation hosted by a single NNE striking granitoid body measuring at least 600m along strike, typically 250m horizontal width and dipping approximately 75 toward WNW. Drilling has confirmed that the body is continuous to at least 350m vertical depth below surface. The entire granite is not mineralised throughout but drilling to date indicates substantial zones of gold mineralisation up to 100m horizontal width.

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case.

Metallurgical test work has been undertaken on core samples representing each of oxide, transition and sulphide mineralisation using a test work regime that mimics the flowsheet of the Edikan Gold Mine process plant, i.e., flotation followed by regrind and CIP.

Results indicate expected gold recoveries of: Oxide 55.1% Transition 87.6% Sulphide 90.3%

Comminution test work indicates that Nkosuo mineralisation is amenable to processing through the Edikan plant at throughput rates similar to those experienced for other granite-hosted orebodies at Edikan.

Geotechnical drilling, laboratory testing and analysis have been undertaken to guide open pit slope designs.

Composite samples of waste and mineralised materials have been laboratory tested for static acid rock drainage and their buffering capacities. The results of ABA and geochemical classification have indicated that the potential for the development of acid mine drainage (AMD) is low.

There are no known deleterious substances associated with Nkosuo mineralisation.

Continue reading here:

Perseus Mining Increases Edikan's Inventories of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves - Junior Mining Network

Humanity seems destined to expand into the Solar System. What exactly that looks like, and how difficult and tumultuous the endeavour might be, is wide open to speculation. But there are some undeniable facts attached to the prospect.

We need materials to build infrastructure, and getting it all into space from Earth is not realistic. (Be quiet, space elevator people.)

Asteroid mining is one of those things thats been talked about for decades but hasnt happened. That doesnt mean it wont happen; in fact, well have to use resources that are already in space if we want to establish a real presence anywhere other than Earth.

There are enormous resources available in asteroids, especially in the Main Asteroid Belt. But Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) also hold vast quantities of water, metals, and volatiles. There are more than 26,000 NEAs, and they could play a key role in humanitys space-faring future. The problem is, even though theyre termed Near Earth Asteroids, theyre not that accessible. So lots of the talk around asteroid mining involves moving asteroids into more advantageous and accessible orbits.

Weve learned a lot about the asteroid population in recent decades, especially in the last two decades. In fact, in 2005, Congress asked NASA to catalogue dangerous objects and to find at least 90 percent of potentially hazardous NEOs sized 140 meters or larger by the end of 2020.

Weve also come to understand asteroid composition better, and scientists have categorized asteroids into types based on composition. The three types are C-Type, M-Type, and S-Type, meaning carbonaceous, metallic, and silicaceous. Theyre also grouped by their orbits, and by families, with each member of a family coming from the same parent body.

Weve also sent spacecraft to study and sample asteroids, which is akin to prospecting here on Earth, though the sampling is aimed more at science than at resource exploitation. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA have both launched successful asteroid sample return missions. JAXA has returned samples to Earth, and the sample from NASAs OSIRIS-REx is on its way.

So we understand asteroids composition and their orbits, and well continue to catalogue them and study them. Well probably continue to sample them, and NASA has taken its first tentative steps in changing an asteroids path by redirecting one with a kinetic impact. It seems certain that well want to bring one closer to Earth and use its resources for our needs.

A new study suggests a unique way of shifting asteroids around and moving them into more advantageous orbits. The title is A multiple-vehicle strategy for near-Earth asteroid capture, and its published in the journal Acta Astronautica. The lead author is Livia Ionescu from the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow.

The study shows how two separate spacecraft could work together to move an asteroid closer to Earth, where its resources can be extracted. One of the spacecraft acts as a pitcher, and one acts as a catcher. These spacecraft act together as a pitcher spacecraft and catcher spacecraft, where the pitcher spacecraft hops from asteroid to asteroid and deflects them towards an orbit in the vicinity of Earth, while the catcher spacecraft is stationed at the Earth and captures the incoming asteroids, the authors write.

In their paper, the authors compare their two-spacecraft proposal to other proposed methods using a single spacecraft. According to them, their method is superior.

One of the strengths of their proposal is the lack of round trips. The pitcher spacecraft neednt return to Earth each time. A single pitcher spacecraft could nudge successive asteroids toward the catcher spacecraft. After nudging an asteroid, the pitcher could reposition itself for the next nudge.

The teams analysis shows that their dual-spacecraft method is superior. Results show that the two-spacecraft strategy is capable of returning more asteroid mass and often at a lower mission duration, they write. Of course, its not quite that simple.

The team analyzed their proposal in three ways. They looked at asteroids following co-planar orbits and circular orbits, they analyzed a set of fictional near-Earth asteroids to create a large data set, and they analyzed some real asteroids as mission targets.

Then the team examined two scenarios to compare single-spacecraft missions with two-spacecraft missions. Each scenario is considered in terms of Delta V. Delta V measures how much acceleration is required to move an object, in this case spacecraft and asteroids. Delta V is the heart of the issue, but so is the amount of mass returned.

The team found that their method uses more Delta V than single-spacecraft methods. But their method returns more mass than single-spacecraft methods because the pitcher doesnt return to Earths neighbourhood. In all cases, the target asteroid is placed in Earths heliocentric orbit.

The analysis showed that the two-spacecraft strategy does not impact the requiredDelta Vin a beneficial manner, the paper states. However, the aim of an asteroid capture mission is to retrieve useful mass to the vicinity of the Earth.

But the results presented so far are based on asteroids that have the same mass and that have fairly simple orbits. That, of course, isnt realistic, so the team dug deeper.

The deeper analysis looked at artificially-generated NEAs with random but realistic elements to their orbits. Therefore, in this section, the orbital elements of the asteroids will be randomly generated within specified ranges in order to generate statistical data on the relative performance of the one-spacecraft and two-spacecraft strategies, the authors write.

In this deeper analysis, the mission architectures remain the same. In the single-spacecraft model, the spacecraft travels to an asteroid, brings it to a heliocentric orbit, then travels to the next asteroid. In the two-spacecraft model, the pitcher moves from asteroid to asteroid while the catcher remains in an Earth heliocentric orbit. In their analysis, each mission visits the same asteroids in the same order, but in real mission planning, that may not be the case.

The researchers found a clear correlation in the single spacecraft scenario. Higher ?V resulted in lower returned mass.

The team ran thousands of simulations. In their simulations, the semi-major axes of the asteroids play a key role. The team found that the further away the semi-major axis is from one astronomical unit (AU), the lower the returned mass is.

The paper is full of detail that cant all be explained here. Overall, it shows that the two-spacecraft mission has some advantages. But thats only when asteroids are brought to Earths heliocentric orbit.

But as weve written about here at Universe Today, it may not be necessary to bring asteroids close to Earth. Maybe Mars orbit is a better location.

The paper also doesnt explore spacecraft design, although the authors acknowledge that if two spacecraft need to be developed, designed, and built, it increases mission complexity. And increased complexity means increased costs. But for the researchers, two things are clear: The advantages of the two-spacecraft strategy are a higher quantity of retrieved mass and a shorter mission duration. Both imply a potential increase in revenue.

Of course, any real benefits will depend on individual missions and the orbits and masses of individual asteroids. Thus, the two-spacecraft has the potential to deliver a higher mass within a lower amount of time, but it still remains dependent on the targeted asteroids and launch date, such that a case-by-case analysis is necessary, they write.

When the team looked at three specific asteroid missions with each mission architecture, the two-spacecraft advantage was clear. Two mission cases have been presented with three target asteroids, where the two-spacecraft strategy is able to return approximately 1.5 times its initial mass, while the one-spacecraft strategy is only capable of bringing less than its initial mass.

The authors dont speculate much beyond their results. But they do point out that it might be possible for two or more pitcher spacecraft to service a single catcher. The two spacecraft mission is already more complicated than the single spacecraft mission because the pair of spacecraft have to be closely coordinated. Adding additional pitchers would only increase the complexity.

Asteroid mining is a ways off in the future, though, if it ever happens. For now, were building a more accurate and complete catalogue of asteroids, were bringing asteroid samples back to Earth for analysis, and were testing kinetic impactors to influence asteroid orbits.

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Two Spacecraft Could Work Together to Capture an Asteroid and Bring it Close to Earth for Mining - Universe Today