Space Missions: In the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century, several space missions were launched to study asteroids up close.

• Missions included NASA's NEAR Shoemaker (433 Eros)
• JAXA's Hayabusa (25143 Itokawa)
• OSIRIS-REx (101955 Bennu).

These missions collected valuable data about asteroid compositions, shapes, and surface features.Asteroids play several important roles in the context of space and our understanding of the cosmos. Here are some key functions and concepts related to asteroids in space

1. Asteroid Threat Mitigation: The potential threat posed by near-Earth asteroids gained attention, leading to efforts to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids. Initiatives like the Near-Earth Object Observations Program (NEOO) have been established to monitor and assess the risk of asteroid impacts on Earth.Building Blocks of the Solar System in asteroids are considered remnants from the early solar system, and studying them can provide insights into the processes that led to the formation of planets and other celestial bodies.
2. Asteroid Belt: Most asteroids are found in the asteroid belt, a region located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This belt contains a diverse population of asteroids, offering a natural laboratory for studying their compositions and characteristics.
3. Impact History: Asteroids have impacted planets and moons throughout the solar system. The study of impact craters on these celestial bodies helps scientists understand the history of cosmic collisions and their effects.
4. Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs): Some asteroids have orbits that bring them into close proximity to Earth. These PHAs pose a potential impact threat, and monitoring their orbits is crucial for planetary defense.
5. Asteroid Mining: Asteroids are rich in resources such as metals, water, and valuable minerals. The concept of asteroid mining involves extracting these resources for use in space exploration and potentially on Earth.