New space industries will require rocket propellant; oxygen and water to supply humans; radiation shielding; and structural material. The founders of Trans Astronautica are organized around building supply depots in space and supply them from volatile materials that would be mined from asteroids and the Moon using the firm's patent pending Optical Mining⢠technology. Addressing a potential need for increased space situational awareness, the firm is funded to detect near-Earth asteroids and orbital debris through a new technique that helps detect small, fast-moving objects that are dimly lit. Working with Deep Space Industries of Moffett Field, CA, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, Trans Astronautica is working on testing a synthetic tracking system that detects objects streaking though its field of view and then, working in a way analogous to HDR imagery, builds a composite image of the object
