The first commercial mission to harvest resources from asteroids could be launched within five years, as Luxembourg’s government works on joint missions with two U.S. space research companies to prospect for water and minerals in outer space through robotic missions.

Since Luxembourg said in February that it was seeking to become a global center for asteroid mining, events have moved rapidly, according to Etienne Schneider, the deputy prime minister. “Space agencies and companies from around the world have contacted us about collaboration,” he said.