This painting from the year 1977 shows an asteroid mission to a near-Earth asteroid. Asteroids contain many of the key elements that form the basis of industry and life on Earth.
Water from near-Earth asteroids can favor space mining.
Scientists who already want to start 2025 with the promotion of various elements on the moon could soon turn their attention to other celestial bodies, as a new study suggests that there are some 1.000 asteroids closer to our planet than the lunar surface and large ones Quantities of valuable water resource included.
While most of these space rocks are only a few meters tall, at least 25 of them are large enough to serve as a stand-alone water reservoir. Taken together, the potential of these “hydrated” asteroids is unique, as they should be enough to fill nearly 320.000 Olympic swimming pools - significantly more than the amount of water trapped at the lunar poles, the study found.
If there was a way to successfully set up fueling facilities on these orbiting asteroids, says asteroid researcher and lead author of the paper, Andrew Rivkin, exploration of manned space could unlock a "level-up" moment. There is no longer any reason to send fuel from Earth, he says.
"It is easier to get fuel from asteroids into geosynchronous orbit than from the surface of the earth," says Rivkin. "If such a supply line could be set up, it could make asteroid mining very profitable."
So far, there are at least two asteroid mining companies - Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries - and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) investigating the feasibility of the alien venture.
In 2015, former US President Barack Obama signed a law granting US citizens rights to their own space-depleted resources. The groundbreaking rule has been identified as a major boost to asteroid mining because it promotes commercial exploration and utilization of asteroid resources gained by US companies.
Shortly thereafter, Luxembourg launched an official initiative to promote the mining of asteroids for minerals. The small European country, which since 2013 examines a possible involvement in this sector, wants to become Europe's center for space mining.
Canada is also watching the moon. Last year, Northern Ontario-based Deltion Innovations partnered with Moon Express, the first US private space exploration company that has received government approval to travel on future space opportunities.
Some of the space projects as part of the work include plans to mine asteroids, track space debris, build the first human settlement on Mars, and billionaire Elon Musk's own plan for an unmanned mission to the red planet.
Geologists and emerging companies, such as the US company Planetary Resources, which is considered a pioneer of the space mine industry, believe that asteroids are packed with iron ore, nickel and precious metals in much higher concentrations than on Earth, a market worth trillions of dollars.
ISE - October 2019
