Space Mining: Mana from the Heavens
As the world around grows smaller, we may have to look out towards space for future exploits and even for our survival.
Introduction
Our time on Earth is limited and growing shorter with each passing year. We're running out of essential resources, pollution is reaching alarming levels, and we are missing the mark needed for sustainability by a fat margin. The World Bank estimates that we'll need to produce 50% more food by 2050 to feed our growing population. But with arable land shrinking and water resources dwindling, how do we achieve this? Going further, as our society becomes increasingly based on space travel, mining and commerce, how will we navigate arenas of political complexity, in order to avoid a conflict taking place over our solar system or even across galaxies? Let’s begin by seeing what material value space mining and commerce can bring to us.
Space Mining
While asteroids may have wiped out the dinosaurs, it might just be our savior. Hopefully, helping us live long enough to become a Type I civilization, where we utilize all the energy available to us on our planet and make headway to Type II, where we are able to use the totality of the sun’s power to fuel our lives.
But we are a long way away from that. For now, on Earth, the pool of usable resources grows smaller and smaller. Meanwhile, almost waiting to be harvested, the vast expanse of space is teeming with asteroids rich with resources. A single 500-meter asteroid could contain more platinum than has ever been mined in human history. These space rocks are also full of rare earth elements and contain water, which can be split into hydrogen and oxygen, the basic components of rocket fuel. This could pave the way for 'gas stations' in space, making space travel more sustainable and cost-effective.
Several companies are already making strides in this direction. One startup, called Planetary Resources, aims to mine asteroids for such purposes. They've launched a couple of test satellites to identify potential mining targets. Then there's Deep Space Industries, who supply spacecraft to prospect and mine asteroids, with the goal of creating a space-based supply chain for resources.
How Does Space Mining Work?
Step 1: Prospecting
The first step is to identify suitable asteroids for mining. This involves studying their composition, size, and trajectory. NASA's NEOWISE mission has already identified several potential targets.
Step 2: Extraction
Once a suitable asteroid has been identified, the next step is to extract the resources. This could involve drilling into the asteroid's surface or using other techniques like heating or magnetic separation.
Step 3: Processing
The extracted resources would then need to be processed. For example, water could be split into hydrogen and oxygen, which could be used as rocket fuel. Metals could be refined and used for construction in space.
Step 4: Return to Earth
The final step would be to return the resources to Earth. This could involve using a spacecraft to transport the resources, or they could be sent back in capsules.
The Future of Space Mining
The potential benefits of space mining are immense. Not only could it provide us with a virtually unlimited supply of resources, but it could also help to reduce pollution and promote sustainability. The path, however, is a web of worrying possibilities. As we l's clear that space mining will play a critical role in our quest for a sustainable future. But it's also clear that we need to approach this new frontier with caution. The role of tyranny in any emerging civilization cannot be inderstated. With uncertainty at play, many opportunity-seekers will monopolize space commerce and use it to subjugate entite populations.
The Global Race for Space Mining
The top players of commercial companies that carry out asteroid mining are mainly concentrated in North America and Europe. Major international players and space agencies in the space mining market include Deep Space Industries (U.S.); Planetary Resources (U.S.); Moon Express (U.S.); ispace (Japan); Asteroid Mining Corporation (U.K.); Shackleton Energy Company (U.S.); Kleos Space (Luxembourg); TransAstra (U.S.); OffWorld (U.S.); SpaceFab (U.S.); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, U.S.); European Space Agency (France); Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; Russian Federal Space Agency.
The United States is the front-runner due to its ambitious Artemis Program, acknowledging the property rights of private companies and individuals to materials gathered in space.
China's journey of commercialization has been over a short time. For example, the United States started to complete the transformation of commercialization in the early 1990s. It took 30 years, and now what most people see is SpaceX. The world's first space resource development and utilization company, Planetary Resources, was established 10 years ago in 2012.
Nevertheless, China now views space technology development as a national strategy, challenging U.S. economic and security importance in space. Origin Space has achieved several "firsts" in the world already because this industry is just starting, so they can become one of the leading players on a global scale.
Founded in 2019, Origin Space has achieved several significant milestones in less than three years. They launched "Yangwang-1", the world's first commercial optical ultraviolet space telescope constellation, and NEO-01, the world's first satellite dedicated to mining technology for space resources.
Origin Space is tackling the high cost and inadequate commercialization of space activities by focusing on standardization, industrialization, and scale. They believe that low cost, industrialization, and standardization are all inevitable processes of space activities.
The company has deep accumulation and rapid growth in all five stages of asteroid mining (finding, exploring, landing, mining, and returning). They are confident to compete internationally for every piece of relevant technology at each stage.
Origin Space also does excellent work in space debris removal and traffic management. They are one of the few commercial companies in the world that made building a space web trail operational, enabling them to help other commercial companies or national entities secure their assets in space.
Sustainability
Space resources could also help us tackle pollution. Consider space-based solar power. By placing solar panels in space, where the sun always shines, we could generate clean, renewable energy around the clock. This energy could be beamed back to Earth, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. As it stands, this is quite a feasible step towards something like achieving Type II civilization status.
To maximize the amount of electricity from new wind turbines, Leosphere, a French company, developed a small instrument to measure wind speed and direction from the ground up to heights of 200 meters. The 'lidar' technology is similar to that which ESA will use on its Aeolus satellite to provide global observations of wind profiles from space.
While opening up space travel, trade and ownership of assets in non-Earth territories, a plethora of legal and moral challenges will rear their heads. This will not slow them down, however, as necessity is the mother of invention. As resources on Earth dwindle and the effects of climate change intensify, the need for solutions in and for space will continue to grow too.
Beyond Mining
When we think of space resources, our minds often jump to the idea of mining asteroids for precious metals or extracting water from the Moon. However, space resources encompass much more than just raw materials. They also include the unique environments and conditions found in space, which can be harnessed for a variety of innovative applications.
Space resources are not just potential sources of profit for space companies, but they are also essential for survival and sustainability in space. For instance, astronauts and robots operating in space will require nutrition, housing, life support, tools, and equipment. Even if they aren't people but instead teleoperated or autonomous robots, they would require the means to prolong their "lifespan" by being provided with repairs, spares, consumables, and other maintenance. This requires a whole industrial ecosystem that would be mostly dependent on in situ resources.
The unique environments in space, including gravity, vacuum, radiation, and location, can also be considered resources. For instance, the microgravity environment in space could be used for manufacturing processes that are difficult or impossible to achieve on Earth. Similarly, the vacuum of space could be used for experiments or processes that require a lack of air or other gases.
The future of space resource utilization is likely to involve a combination of mining raw materials and harnessing the unique conditions of space. This will require a new approach to space law and regulation, which currently focuses primarily on issues of sovereignty and property rights. Future regulations will need to address a range of issues, including safety and security of operations, dispute resolution, information sharing, and the use of synthetic organisms within space objects or on the surface of a celestial body.
The Final Frontier
Space, the final frontier, could hold the key to solving some of our most pressing problems. As we venture into this new era, we must do so responsibly, ensuring that our pursuit of space resources doesn't lead to a new form of cosmic colonialism.
Space Regulations and Laws: A Cuthroat Future
As we venture further into the cosmos, the laws and regulations that govern our activities in space will become increasingly important. The current framework, largely established during the Cold War era, is already seen as inadequate given the rapid advancements in space technology and the growing number of actors involved in space exploration and exploitation.
Space exploration is no longer a domain reserved for wealthy nations alone. Private entities, including companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic, have disrupted a market long dominated by defense contractors. This has led to a more congested, contested, and competitive space environment.
The current global space governance framework has been slow to adapt to evolving state and industry practices, as well as technological changes. Issues such as the use of celestial resources and space militarization are not adequately addressed by existing agreements and treaties. As more nations and private entities establish their presence in space, the potential for conflict increases. Disputes over the use of celestial resources, territorial claims, and the militarization of space could lead to large-scale political conflicts.
The commercialization of space also opens up opportunities for financial manipulation. For example, companies could potentially exploit loopholes in space laws to avoid taxes or engage in other forms of financial manipulation.
There is a growing consensus that new governance measures are needed to ensure stronger global space governance and the safety and sustainability of space for the future. This includes revising existing laws and treaties, as well as creating new ones to address emerging issues. The United Nations has been the primary facilitator of global space governance and law. However, its effectiveness has been limited by diplomatic impasses between international actors. There is a need for more effective international cooperation and consensus-building to advance global space governance. In response to the perceived inadequacies of international space governance, some nations have started to develop their own national space policies. This trend could potentially lead to a fragmentation of space governance, with different nations following their own rules and regulations.
In the next 20 to 200 years, these issues are likely to become even more pronounced as technological advancements make space exploration and exploitation increasingly accessible. The challenge will be to develop a global space governance framework that can accommodate the diverse interests of different actors while ensuring the peaceful and sustainable use of space.
Conclusion
The threshold of an era of space exploration and exploitation beckons us. But with the allure of boundless cosmic riches comes a caveat: this is not an open, lawless frontier.
Our human desire for progress, for stepping into the role of a Type I or Type II civilization, is, in essence, a search for sustainable survival. Yet, the potential resource extraction from celestial bodies raises not only hopes but also questions.
Commercialization of space, unchecked, risks unleashing a new kind of conflict, both political and environmental. Space debris, territorial disputes, the control of invaluable resources—all are serious considerations. The proposition of such a wild west scenario necessitates a global response: transparent, fair regulations that aim not to stifle, but to guide the enterprise.
The future of our cosmic endeavor will not be solely inscribed by technological leaps or resource acquisition. It will be depend upon the ability to share wealth and limit harm. We must be cognizant that in this grand adventure, the key to our destiny is not just among the stars but within our collective wisdom and responsibility.