A California company is designing a spacecraft that's set to launch in April 2028 with a mission to intercept an asteroid as it passes close to Earth. The spacecraft being built by Long Beach-based ExLabs will take a year to reach the asteroid Apophis, aiming for contact on April 13, 2029. Once there, it will study the asteroid's composition and origin. The mission is funded by grants and contracts from agencies like NASA and the U.S. Space Force. ExLabs hopes this will pave the way for capturing and mining asteroids, potentially revolutionizing resource acquisition and reducing the need for Earth-based mining.