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The DigitalSpace Commons, a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based company that develops an open-source 3D rendering system, has come up with the design for a new NASA spacecraft and a mission that could eventually allow humans to land on and explore an asteroid, or so-called near-Earth objects (NEO). The privately held company plans to unveil the design publicly Monday.

The project dovetails with NASA’s Constellation Program, a plan to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020. Along with the lunar mission, the space agency is investigating the possibility of using its future crew navigation vehicle for missions to an asteroid, which could help scientists better understand the minor planets or assist in eventually getting humans to Mars. Over the last six months, NASA studied how it might modify its own lunar vehicle for trips to NEOs and found that it was feasible, according to David Morrison, a senior scientist in NASA’s Astrobiology Institute.

“The concept of human flights to near-Earth objects is exciting for science, and it’s a logical, technological stepping stone to Mars because it’s intermediate in flight length,” said Morrison. “It’s not literally on the way, but it’s on the way for developing the technology for deep space.”

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