Resource extraction & processing robots that can reasonably be transported by spacecraft. Small-scale mineral detection, sorting, refinement
This Grand Challenge would be to solve the issue of being stuck with infeasible ways of creating outposts on Mars and other places apart from Earth. The ways of doing this that currently exist are to send all necessary structures and machinery via many large rockets, or to send large mineral extraction & processing equipment via many large rockets and use that to obtain materials to build the bulky components of structures and machinery on Mars. The issue is where a solution requires many expensive rockets, because the cost of these can’t easily be justified for sending big metal mining and smelting equipment, especially not when it would require humans to be present to operate it. This challenge would be to develop and autonomous, small-scale resource extraction and processing system which could steadily produce useful metals to support the development of outposts on other worlds. It’s almost like how a few small (easily transportable) seeds can turn resources in their environment into a massive (immensely heavy) forest, given enough time. It’s more like bringing a couple of seeds than proposing to ship half-a-forest of trees there. The seed method is actually achievable
If this Grand Challenge were truly solved, investors would support the establishment of resource gathering (and adaptable manufacturing) operations on Mars and other places in the solar system. These businesses would profit from supporting the development of new outposts of society which are currently being demanded by researchers and opportunity-seekers. The development of technology to solve this challenge may also result in improvements to non-stationary robots, as well as methods of resource extraction & processing that are significantly more efficient and productive than current methods
