Is Space Mining a Viable Future?

Space is the final frontier for resource exploitation. Asteroids orbiting near earth are masses of potential riches such as platinum, fresh water, and other resources scarce on earth. However, with this new technology for space mining there comes a host of unexplored questions about the complexities of taking from intergalactic sources.

First to be considered are the environmental implications of space mining. The low gravity and harsh temperature changes off earth means that robotics and equipment have to be more complex and larger than those used on earth and therefore will require more resources for production whose extraction will harm the environment (Chen).

A preliminary life cycle analysis done on the environmental impact of space mining by Hein et al. shows that space mining could actually result in significantly reduced carbon emissions compared to extraction on earth. Earth mining techniques, especially of rare metals, is a highly polluting process. Whereas only launch emissions would remain in earth's atmosphere for space mining, and future companies would hopefully invest in cleaner rocket fuels, further reducing CO2 emissions.

However, it is estimated that about one fifth of a rocket's mass is converted to nitrous oxides upon re-entry and these contaminants have up to 300 times the greenhouse power of CO2 (Asteroid Mining Might Actually Be Better for the Environment - MIT Technology Review). Overall, it seems that space mining may actually have a positive effect on the environment when compared to extraction on earth. However, many variables, such as asteroid size and composition, and efficiency of technology, have yet to be defined before the true harm or benefit of the process can be determined (Hein et al.).

There are further unknowns in space mining such as what if there are lifeforms or organic molecules in an excavation site? Is the risk of harming a previously undiscovered form of life or returning to earth with a foreign contaminant worth the trip? A final ethical consideration on the environment concerns the earth's capacity to handle any more resources. We are already operating above our planet's limits. Maybe instead of looking for a profit from off-earth sources we should focus on reducing our consumption and increasing recycling of these rare materials (Space Mining).

The opening of space for natural resource exploitation has the potential to create an entire new field of jobs and drastically alter the world economy. The mining of asteroids, for example, has the potential to recover billions of dollars in resources. There are many resources that are scarce on earth but exist in abundance on asteroids.

This creates a massive economic potential for the space mining industry in the future. Due to this economic incentive some countries have begun to offer regulatory and financial incentives to encourage the space mining industry.

The government of Luxembourg, for example, has introduced legislation that will allow companies to keep any resources they mine from celestial bodies and has invested around euro 200 million towards the space mining industry (The Asteroid Rush Sending 21st-Century Prospectors into Space | Science | The Guardian).

The expansion of space mining industry could result in a temporary job loss in the conventional mining industry on earth but could create many new tech jobs as the new industry develops. Since it will take decades to develop the technology necessary to complete a full space-mining mission and bring materials back to earth, it is impossible to know whether current investments in the space mining industry have the potential to succeed.

The expansion of space for mining purposes also raises questions in international law that must be addressed. The International Treaty of Outer Space, signed by the UN in 1967, states that no country can claim exclusive ownership to any celestial body in outer space (Mining in Space: What It Means for the Economy?). As space mining becomes a more viable industry in the future, there will certainly be disputes between countries over who will ultimately benefit from the resources exploited in space.

These issues will need to be addressed in the future if the space mining industry is to succeed. In 2015, United States President Barack Obama signed the so-called "Space Law", which allows private individuals and companies to exploit space mining (Mining in Space: What It Means for the Economy?). It is unclear however, how countries will go about enforcing laws like these with the current international laws in place.

In conclusion, there are many questions that will need to be addressed in order to assess the feasibility of the space mining industry. While there are great economic incentives to pursue the existing resources in space, there are many ethical and environmental concerns that must be taken into account. Countries will need to decide how to fairly distribute the benefits from space mining in an equitable way and how to remove resources sustainably.

References
+ Asteroid Mining Might Actually Be Better for the Environment - MIT Technology Review. Accessed 28 Mar. 2019.

+ Mining in Space: What It Means for the Economy? Accessed 28 Mar. 2019.

+ Space Mining: Ethical Issues and Some Possible Solutions - Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. Accessed 28 Mar. 2019.

+ The Asteroid Rush Sending 21st-Century Prospectors into Space | Science | The Guardian. Accessed 28 Mar. 2019.

Related Links
McGill University
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology

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