A privately-built spacecraft has embarked on an unprecedented deep space mission to scout out an asteroid's potential for mining. The probe, called Odin, was launched on a SpaceX rocket alongside a robotic moon lander that will drill for water and a lunar orbiter that will map water resources with an instrument built by the University of Oxford. Odin is destined for asteroid 2022 OB5 that's believed to be rich in platinum and similar metals, which are critical for electronic, medical and green technology Sky's Thomas Moore has been investigating whether the mission will be worth it. Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/odin-probe-blasts-off-on-spacex-rocket-to-survey-asteroid-for-possible-mining-mission-13317543 #skynews #space SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8 Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/ Sky News videos are now available in Spanish here/Los video de Sky News están disponibles en español aquí: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzG5BnqHO8oNlrPDW9CYJog To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales