The Slavia mission, which stands for the Space Laboratory for Advanced Variable Instruments and Applications, was announced in 2021. It is led by Brno-based private space firm S.A.B. Aerospace S.r.o. with support from the Czech Transport Ministry and with the Academy's scientific contribution.
The Academy said that the technical feasibility study for the project has been completed. If the project is approved, Czech scientists will build laboratory versions of the satellites and the instruments they will carry.
"It's a long shot, but Czech scientists are very well prepared for this race," Academy President Eva Zazimalova said in a statement.
The satellites measuring roughly 8in x 8in x 16in will be equipped with a hyperspectral camera used to analyze the composition of near-Earth asteroids, a mass spectrometer that will analyze space dust in the orbit and radio antennas to monitor plasma.
Scientists hope that the mission will help map mineral wealth in space, laying the foundations for future mining on asteroids during manned flights to the Moon, Mars and farther into the Solar System.