{"id":447873,"date":"2022-05-16T18:03:16","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T15:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:03:16","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T15:03:16","slug":"humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"#Humans have big plans for space mining, but it\u2019s not gonna be easy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35ffdad401f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35ffdad401f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/#%E2%80%9CHumans_have_big_plans_for_space_mining_but_its_not_gonna_be_easy%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Humans have big plans for space mining, but it\u2019s not gonna be easy&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/#In-situ_resource_utilization\" >In-situ resource utilization<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/#What_resources_are_out_there\" >What resources are out there?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/#How_would_we_mine_in_space\" >How would we mine in space?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/#Huge_challenges_persist\" >Huge challenges persist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/humans-have-big-plans-for-space-mining-but-its-not-gonna-be-easy\/#But_work_is_underway\" >But work is underway<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHumans_have_big_plans_for_space_mining_but_its_not_gonna_be_easy%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Humans have big plans for space mining, but it\u2019s not gonna be easy&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n                            Like Earth, planetary bodies such as the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and comets contain substantial deposits of valuable resources. This has caught the attention of both researchers and industry, with hopes of one day mining them to support a space economy.<\/p>\n<p>But setting up any kind of off-Earth mining industry will be no small feat. Let\u2019s look at what we\u2019re up against.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In-situ_resource_utilization\"><\/span>In-situ resource utilization<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you think of off-Earth mining, you might imagine extracting materials from various bodies in space and bringing them back to Earth. But this is unlikely to be the first commercially viable example.<\/p>\n<p>If we wanted to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2021\/nasa-s-artemis-base-camp-on-the-moon-will-need-light-water-elevation\/\">NASA has proposed<\/a>, we would need to resupply astronauts living there. Resources such as water can only be recycled to an extent.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, resources are extremely expensive to launch from Earth. As of 2018, it <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ttu-ir.tdl.org\/handle\/2346\/74082\">cost about A$3,645<\/a> to launch one kilogram of material into low Earth orbit, and more to launch it higher, or onto the Moon. It\u2019s likely materials mined in space will be used in space, to help save on these costs.<\/p>\n<p>Harvesting materials required on-site is called \u201cin-situ resource utilization\u201d. It can involve anything from mining ice to collecting soil to build structures. NASA is currently exploring the possibility of constructing buildings on the Moon with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/3dprintingindustry.com\/news\/nasa-to-explore-3d-printed-lunar-structure-possibilities-with-redwire-regolith-print-launch-193859\/\">3D printing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mining in space could also transform satellite management. Current practice is to de-orbit satellites after 10\u201320 years when they run out of fuel. One lofty goal of space companies such as Orbit Fab is to design a type of satellite that can be <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2021-09-gas-station-space.html\">refueled<\/a> using propellant collected in space.<\/p>\n<p>Even for low-Earth orbit satellites, the energy required to reach them from the Moon is less than that needed to reach them from Earth.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_resources_are_out_there\"><\/span>What resources are out there?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to off-Earth mining opportunities, there are a few resources that are both abundant and valuable. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/astrotecture.com\/Welcome_files\/AIAA-2013-5304_Asteroid_Mining.pdf\">Some asteroids contain<\/a> vast amounts of iron, nickel, gold, and platinum group metals, which can be used for construction and electronics.<\/p>\n<p>Lunar regolith (rock and soil) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/0309133314567585\">contains helium-3<\/a>, which may become a valuable resource in the future if nuclear fusion becomes viable and widespread. British company Metalysis has developed a process that could <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration\/Turning_Moon_dust_into_oxygen\">extract oxygen from lunar regolith<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ice is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1089\/space.2019.0002\">expected to exist<\/a> on the Moon\u2019s surface, at permanently shadowed craters near its poles. We also think there\u2019s ice beneath the surface of Mars, asteroids, and comets. This could be used to support life, or be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen and used as propellant.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_would_we_mine_in_space\"><\/span>How would we mine in space?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My (Michael\u2019s) Ph.D. thesis involved testing how exploration techniques would operate on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unsworks.unsw.edu.au\/bitstreams\/e119dfe6-fea0-4657-b1b2-a32c15136af2\/download\">the Moon and Mars<\/a>. Our other work has included economic modeling for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0094576517305131?\">ice mining on Mars<\/a>\u00a0and computer modeling on the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0094576522001473\">stability of tunnels<\/a> on the Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Some proposals for off-Earth mining are similar to mining on Earth. For instance, we could mine lunar regolith with a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/aip.scitation.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1063\/1.1649662\">bucket-wheel excavator<\/a>, or mine an asteroid using a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.scielo.org.za\/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext\">tunnel boring machine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Other proposals are more unfamiliar \u2013 such as using a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yvBVuewGuxs\">vacuum-like machine<\/a> to pull regolith up a tube (which has seen limited use in excavation on Earth).<\/p>\n<p>Researchers from the University of New South Wales Sydney and the Australian National University propose using <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0265964615300114\">biomining<\/a>. In this, bacteria introduced to an asteroid would consume certain minerals and produces a gas, which could then be harvested and collected by a probe.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Huge_challenges_persist\"><\/span>Huge challenges persist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our work at UNSW\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.acser.unsw.edu.au\/\">Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research<\/a> involves finding ways to reduce risks in a space resources industry. Needless to say, there are many technical and economical challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The same launch costs that have so many eager to begin off-Earth mining also mean getting mining equipment to space is expensive. Mining operations will have to be as light as possible to be cost-effective (or even feasible).<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the further something is from Earth, the longer it takes to reach. There is delay of up to 40 minutes when sending a command to a Mars rover and finding out whether it was successful.<\/p>\n<p>The Moon only has a 2.7 second delay for communications and may be easier to mine remotely. Near-Earth objects also have orbits similar to Earth, and occasionally <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theskylive.com\/near-earth-objects\">pass by Earth<\/a> at distances comparable to the Moon. They\u2019re an ideal candidate to mine as they require little energy to reach and return from.<\/p>\n<p>Off-Earth mining would need to be mostly automated, or remotely controlled, given the additional challenges of sending humans to space \u2013 such as needing life support, avoiding radiation, and extra launch costs.<\/p>\n<p>However, even mining systems on Earth aren\u2019t fully automated yet. Robotics will need to improve before asteroids can be mined.<\/p>\n<p>While spacecraft have landed on asteroids several times and even retrieved samples \u2013 which were returned to Woomera in South Australia, during the Hayabusa 1 and 2 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/world\/asia\/japanese-asteroid-mission-to-drop-ancient-samples-in-australian-desert-20201119-p56g02.html\">missions<\/a> \u2013 our overall success rate for landing on asteroids and comets is low.<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, the Philae lander sent to comet 67P\/Churyumov\/Gerasimenko famously tumbled <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/27767-philae-comet-landing-nearly-failed-infographic.html\">into a ditch<\/a> during a failed landing attempt.<\/p>\n<p>There are also environmental considerations. Mining in space may help reduce the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0094576519313839\">amount of mining<\/a> needed on Earth. But that\u2019s if off-Earth mining results in fewer, and not more, rocket launches, or if the resources are returned to and used on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Although collecting resources in space might mean not having to launch them from Earth, more launches may inevitably take place as the space economy grows.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the question of whether proposed mining techniques will even work in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unsworks.unsw.edu.au\/bitstreams\/e119dfe6-fea0-4657-b1b2-a32c15136af2\/download\">space environments<\/a>. Different planetary bodies have different atmospheres (or none), gravity, geology, and electrostatic environments (for example, they may have electrically charged soil due to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/2007\/070129\/full\/news070129-16.html\">particles from the Sun<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>How these conditions will affect off-Earth operations is still largely unknown.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"But_work_is_underway\"><\/span>But work is underway<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While it\u2019s still early days, a number of companies are currently developing technologies for off-Earth mining, space resource exploration, and for other uses in space.<\/p>\n<p>The Canadian <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.csmc-scms.ca\/\">Space Mining Corporation<\/a> is developing the infrastructure required to support life in space, including oxygen generators and other machinery.<\/p>\n<p>US-based company <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.offworld.ai\/\">OffWorld<\/a> is developing industrial robots for operations on Earth, the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. And the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/asteroidminingcorporation.co.uk\/about\">Asteroid Mining Corporation<\/a> is also working to establish a market for space resources.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/181721\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/181721\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><br \/>\n<em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/michael-dello-iacovo-291099\">Michael Dello-Iacovo<\/a>, Casual academic, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-sydney-1414\">UNSW Sydney<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/serkan-saydam-407296\">Serkan Saydam<\/a>, Off Earth Mining, Future Mining, Mining Systems, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-sydney-1414\">UNSW Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/humans-have-big-plans-for-mining-in-space-but-there-are-many-things-holding-us-back-181721\">original article<\/a>.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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This has caught the attention of both researchers and industry, with hopes of one day mining them to support a space economy. But setting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":447874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/05\/Space_.jpg&signature=0236bd2a5779956b21e056cbd670a653","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-447873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}