China Ramps Up Space Mining Drive with Robotic Miner and Helium-3 Prospects

China is accelerating its space-resource program, aiming to survey and extract materials from asteroids and other minor bodies. Researchers are developing a six-legged, wheel-and-claw robot capable of operating in microgravity, with energy storage leveraging local resources, as part of a broader plan to tap metals and helium-3. The Tianwen-2 mission, launched in 2025, will sample near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 and study a main-belt comet to lay groundwork for future mining.