Humanity could develop a resource extraction industry beyond our planet in the next few decades. As the availability of precious minerals and metals on Earth decreases, we may need to explore off-planetary resources to address the problem. Asteroid mining could be a promising solution that helps us preserve the landscapes of our planet.

The opportunity

The universe is a vast and complex system comprising an infinite amount of matter. Congealing, coalescing, and simultaneously expanding, generating energy as it morphs and changes state under immense gravitational effects.

Only 5% of “ordinary” matter is visible within the universe. Visible ordinary matter encompasses all the elements, gases, and minerals we perceive. The other 95% comprises invisible matter and energy, appropriately named “dark matter” or “dark energy.”

Travelling through this dark “Space” presents an exciting challenge as we seek to explore other balls of rocky and gaseous planets. Either to inhabit or extract precious gases, metals and minerals.

Our nearest celestial body, the moon, sits 240,000 miles away, while Mars is 140 million miles from us. Considering the vast distances involved, reaching the potential of a galactic industry depends on several technological breakthroughs.

Why SpaceX is making it possible

Leading the space frontier is SpaceX with its remarkable new rocket, the Super Heavy. These rockets are engineered to hoist 100 metric tons into low Earth orbit and boast reusability, potentially reducing payload costs to two to five million dollars.

Such strides by SpaceX revolutionise the economics of transporting large payloads into space—a necessary advancement for any industrial action to be made beyond the surface of our planet.

Is asteroid mining a thing?

One UK-based company, Asteroid Mining Corp, is moving towards space mining and planetary exploration with its SCAR-E robot. Once finger grippers are installed, a genius six-legged hexapod design will scale any almost vertical landscape. Making it perfect for asteroid mining or lunar creator exploration.

The company’s founder, Hunter-Scullion, said in a SpaceNews article, “We are looking for International Space Station and lunar applications for this very robot in about 2026, 2027,”.

By shifting destructive mineral extraction off-planet, we can preserve Earth’s beautiful landscapes while exploiting infinitely scalable space resources.

The idea: Electromagnetic propulsion and space conveyor belts

Looking towards the future of space resource utilization, we are sowing the seeds for establishing a galactic industry. However, how can we automate and scale these efforts?

Envision a system of space stations scattered at strategic points all around our galaxy. These space stations use electromagnetic propulsion and guided systems to propel cargo vessels between them.

With a sophisticated network of stations that use sensors to position themselves according to oncoming traffic. They would be able to receive payloads and direct those payloads to defined coordinates. Think of it as a galactic conveyor belt systematically directing goods and traffic around space.

One way to power this space conveyor belt would be through solar power. The International Space Station already generates 120kW of solar energy daily. Solar capture works more efficiently in space, but as you may expect, exposure to such high radiation has drawbacks. We can confidently say that the full potential of cosmic solar energy for this purpose has yet to be fully realised.

While this electromagnetic propulsion space conveyor belt idea has yet to be tested or explored, it is open to discussion. I encourage anyone to explore the limits of what is perceived as impossible and strive to make it possible. I would love to hear your thoughts if you are in the space industry. Please feel free to leave a comment below and like the article if it moves you!