Asteroid engineering: The state-of-the-art of Near-Earth Asteroids science and technology

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the science and technology of accessing near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), or making them accessible, for obtaining both information and resources. The survey is divided into four major groups of NEA study, namely a) discovery (population estimation and detection), b) Exploration (identification and characterization), c) deflection and redirection, and d) mining (prospecting, excavation, processing, refining, storage.). Recent research and development advancements from both industry and academia are discussed in each group, and certain specific future directions are highlighted. Some concluding remarks are made at the end, including the need for creating new educational programs to train competent engineers and researchers for the taskforce in the new field of asteroid engineering in near future.