I noticed that there was some interest in the news post last
month concerning the go-ahead date for the space mining operations therefore I
have decided to offer a bit more detail into what this will encompass.
[I would also like to clarify that it is technically
asteroid mining. By definition asteroids remain in space and only once they
enter earth's atmosphere do they classify as meteors.]
Is Asteroid Mining a Good Idea?
One of the main
arguments for the start of a space mining program is the obvious fact that we
are currently consuming the earth's resources at an increasing rate. Much of
this problem stems from the fact that modern technology relies heavily on
precious metals which due to their limited availability results in them being expensive
to process. Current mineral deposits won't run out in the near-near future but
they will eventually run out. We need to look at either alternative materials
or alternative sources and while many seem to choose the former there are some
who are beginning to believe in the latter.
Another benefit is
that this will increase the interest in pushing forward space technology. In
the last 50 years, the technology required to get into space has made huge
advances and yet it is still incredibly expensive and risky. We've already seen
a huge leap in space exploration this century with the start-up of many private
companies (with SpaceX and Scaled Composites being the two biggest names) and
pretty soon we're going to start seeing space tourism for the first time ever,
however this is a limited niche in the market. The creation of a mining program
will expand that niche market to allow for others to come along and come up
with new and cheaper way to get objects up into space. Essentially, we’re
talking about starting an industrial revolution in space.
On the other hand, one
of the big problems is that to achieve this advancement in space-flight
technology, a huge amount of money needs to be invested into the program (we’re
looking at billions of dollars) as the required technology to make this venture
successful does not exist yet. This means that whoever is involved will be
putting up huge sums of money without any payout for a while and many investors
are not comfortable with such a long-time investment coupled with an unknown
chance of failure. This hasn’t however turned most people off and the program
has attracted the bank accounts of Google CEO Larry Page and Hollywood Director
James Cameron, both of whom are no strangers to this type of investment (Google
have set up the Google Lunar X which awards a $20m prize to the first private
lunar rover while Cameron holds the record for deepest undersea dive). As a
result it seems that the interest required to make the mining operation
worthwhile is not yet enough however this will definitely change if and when
Deep Space Industries announce their first successful mining mission.
While it’s all very
well to get a mining craft up into space there’s still the problem of actually
getting it to land on an asteroid to begin the extraction process. The average
asteroid speed is governed by its orbital rotation around the sun (much like
the planets) and normally registers around 25km/s. Although up in space this
does not amount to much, it does leave a very small timeframe from which the
asteroid can be mined without the craft disappearing into space, presenting
another obstacle that needs to be cleared before any progress can be made. In
addition to this, the time to get a mining craft into space, onto an asteroid
and start extracting minerals could under current circumstances take well over a year therefore
the deployment time also needs to be significantly improved.
Economic Viability
In the end the
biggest factor that will affect whether a space mining program will be
successful or not will be how much money it can make. As I’ve already pointed
out, the initial costs are massive however they also need to factor in the cost
of each mission. All spacecraft are limited by their payload on account of for
every pound of weight you take into space you need a certain amount of fuel to
get it there. As a result all launches are rated on a cost of fuel per weight
ratio, which currently stands at around $10,000/lb and is the main reason why
space travel is so expensive. Pioneers believe that in the next 10
years the ratio could be as low as $500/lb, but again this requires huge amounts
of money to be invested to make it a reality.
Asteroid surveys
have shown them to be mineral rich, particularly in
rare-earth materials such as platinum and gold. Platinum currently has a market
value of around $25600/lb, so assuming you can extract the mining craft’s
weight in it then you have essentially broken even for that mission. Also when
you consider that a 1km wide asteroid could hold more precious metals that have
ever been collected on earth, the financial opportunity could be huge in the
long run.
A key current
financial problem would be that repeat launches would prove to be significantly
expensive. One innovation would be to allow the mining craft to jump from one
asteroid to the next, essentially making it a one-launch vehicle. Assuming the
craft is not responsible for transporting the collected minerals back to earth
and acknowledging the fact that it won’t be able to be upgraded or fixed, the only significant problem would be in
refuelling the craft, however there is an easy fix.
As well being high
in minerals and ores, asteroids are also rich in water (ice) and this could
prove to be an invaluable resource for any future space project. Water is used
in many instances as propellant for spacecrafts as it is not likely to combust
unexpectedly, but it is also one of the most valuable resources in space due to
its limited [almost zero] availability. Taking into account that to transport
large quantities of water into space to begin with can cost millions of
dollars, the idea of having a ‘reservoir’ ready and waiting would reduce the
cost of many space-flight missions by a significant factor. It is highly likely
that mining companies will charge for water much like oil companies charge for
petrol.
How Does It Work?
One of the greatest
problems that will be faced will be to find a way to allow for mining to take
place over a long period of time without the asteroid continuing on its planned
orbit. There is a lot of discussion at the moment over the possibility of
pulling asteroids to orbit the earth. The obvious benefits here will be that
the speed of the asteroid will decrease substantially but also that it will
always remain in close proximity for travel to and send resources from. This method
isn’t without its controversies however with the majority of people pointing
out the disastrous effects should the asteroid decide to collide with earth.
There is also the issue of how to get a kilometre-wide asteroid to orbit the
earth to begin with however scientists believe that the same technology used to
pull them into orbit with us could also be used to push potential meteors away.
Then there’s the
issue of the actual mining process which, although techniques have not exactly
been discussed in great detail, there are only a few ways in which it can be
carried out. The obvious method would be to drill as this allows for sensors to
pick up mineral rich deposits and target them accurately however there are also
talks of ‘combing’ the asteroid in order to ensure that a maximum possible area
is covered. This method also allows for a much higher degree of accuracy over
choosing which ores and minerals to collect and which to dump. With no oxygen
available, all motors would have to be electrically powered and would therefore
be heavily performance limited.
There is also a lot
of debate over the return system. The crafts themselves could serve as vessels
for carrying the raw materials, given that it requires a lot less energy to
re-enter the atmosphere than to leave it, but then you are still stuck with
sending it back once it has been unloaded, again factoring in further launch
costs. One popular method is to send them back down in containers or pods which
would then be collected by the mining companies.
Political
Repercussions
One of the greatest
worries over the space mining innovation is who will benefit from it. It is a
highly restricted industry with only a few wealthy key players but if they are
able to pull it off it would give them full control over a wide range of
materials that are key in modern society. This in turn would put them at a huge
financial advantage. What this would then lead to is essentially watching the
rich get even richer. This could also lead to political instability among world
leaders if all the benefits of the campaign were only ever seen by a few elite
countries. The last we want is for control over mining rights in space to develop
into a scenario similar to the oil monopoly.
So what’s the
solution? The original Space Race was a competition between two countries on
the brink of nuclear war however it has now become a beacon of combined efforts
between countries all over the world. Countries who 10 years ago wouldn’t have
even dreamed of having a say have managed to establish and launch a space
program. The concept of space mining has the potential to act as a unifier
between nations, with everyone benefiting from the rewards so long as everyone
has a chance to be involved or ensuring that everyone gets a taste of the
profits.
Final Thoughts
Space really is the
next big conquest and to motivate an entire industry to invest in it is the
only way it will ever get the scientific leap it needs to succeed.
The risks are certainly high but the rewards, properly moderated, could be instrumental in mankind's dream of living among the stars.
Sources (check out for more information)
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