A Chinese space mining company has designed a robot that can capture waste material left behind by spacecraft in outer space with a big net.The state-run Xinhua news agency recently reported that the robot launched on the government's Long March 6 rocket along with several satellites.The robot will also investigate deep space to observe small objects in the universe.The 30-kilogram robot, called NEO-01, was developed by Origin Space.The company says the robot will lead the way for future technologies capable of mining on asteroids.The world's first asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources, was established in 2009.Since then, more than 12 businesses around the world have entered the industry, including 3D Systems of the United States and Japan's Astroscale.Astroscale's technology uses magnets to gather up space waste.But a report on the Origin Space website says NEO-01 will use a net to capture waste and then burn it.
