Asteroid Mining

Asteroid Mining

Asteroid mining could be turning from a science fiction dream into a world and changing reality much faster than people think, according to a new study.

The goal is to convert asteroid water into rocket fuel within a decade and ultimately extract valuable and useful platinum - group metals - from space rock. Asteroid mining also has environmental benefits: companies commit to reducing the environmental impact of mining on the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, landfills and oceans. Planetary Resources sent its first spacecraft to the International Space Station last month, and the Washington-based asteroid mining company plans to launch a series of increasingly ambitious and powerful probes into space in the coming years.

Water held on asteroids could also be used for long-distance flights, with asteroids serving as galactic refueling stations, hopefully with clean toilets. Similarly, the near-Earth asteroid could provide the basis for robots that can produce solar cells, solar cells, and other advanced technologies. Machinery and operating costs would be significantly reduced compared to the same earth-based approach.

Space mining could bring commodity markets back to Earth, and start-ups are starting to do just that. Startups working on this new frontier have the potential to disrupt a range of vertical materials, from precious metals to telecommunications.

The dynamics of supply and demand have changed dramatically in recent years with the introduction of new technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and solar cells.

Asteroid mining companies continue to attract a lot of media and investor interest, while space technology more broadly recorded 13 deals totaling $157 million in Q2 '17. With Jeff Bezos - backed by Blue Origin and SpaceX - reaching milestones and the cost of commercial space travel continuing to fall, asteroid mining has become one of the most promising areas of investment in the space industry in recent years. The first movers and shakers in this sector are already establishing themselves, and some have already begun to see where man has mined before. Some companies have been looking specifically at near-Earth asteroids, which are the easiest to reach in the short term. So far, about 15,000 such objects have been discovered that orbit near Earth and are located at a distance of about 2,200 kilometers from Earth.

Some companies have been targeting near-Earth asteroids that are the easiest to reach in the short term. Planetary Resources has identified eight potential targets and listed them in a recent report, while Deep Space Industries says it has dozens of "very, very attractive targets." The first players in this sector are companies such as Planetary Resource, Planetary Exploration and Planetary Sciences. They have already begun to identify a number of asteroids where no human has ever exploded before, such as asteroids orbiting the sun. Sources: 3

So far, about 15,000 such objects have been discovered, and they are circling close enough to get close to Earth.

Both Planetary Resources, based in Washington state, and Deep Space Industries, based in California, are actively working to extract resources from asteroids. Both aim to supply building materials that are prohibitively expensive to transport to the ground, such as steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, iron, zinc, and other metals. Planetary Resource has identified eight potential targets and listed them in a list of dozens of "very, very attractive targets" that Deep Space Industries claims to have.

Both have ambitious timetables, with full dismantling planned for the second half of the 2020s. Both companies say they plan to launch asteroids into space - with spacecraft to be used in the next few years to test the technology in low Earth orbit later this year.

Mining start-up Planetary Resources is focused on water and has announced plans for a first exploration mission in the 2020s, but it is focusing on water. Lewicki believes solar energy will be key to powering the technology, which will melt water trapped in asteroids and then separate the elements. He is betting that water extraction will be the key to space's success - mining.

A 2015 federal law intended to spur the development of the US space industry makes clear that US citizens have a right to what is gained from asteroids. The Outer Space Act of 1996 or the Outer Solar System Exploration Act gives US space companies the opportunity to own and sell raw materials extracted from space, including asteroids, as long as they are within the borders of the United States.

In August this year, the Colorado School of Mines launched the first - of its kind - asteroid mining course in the United States, offering a wide range of courses on this science fiction topic. Make no mistake, we will keep you informed of the latest developments in space and among space technicians. Think what you will see in a few years, maybe even a year or two, with the advent of the next generation of space technology.