mining asteroids
Extraterrestrial resource extraction
Mining asteroids is the extraction of valuable materials—metals, minerals, water—from asteroids in space.
The concept appears mostly in science fiction and speculative discussions of future industry, though some companies and space agencies have explored its feasibility: Mining asteroids could provide rare earth elements without depleting Earth's resources.
A single metallic asteroid might contain trillions of dollars worth of platinum-group metals.
- space rockExtraterrestrial geological fragment
- deep spaceRemote regions beyond planets
- outer spaceVacuum beyond Earth's atmosphere
- spacecraftVehicle for outer space
- oreMetal-bearing rock
extraction · space · science fiction · drill · robots · payload · platinum · nickel · iron · cobalt · heavy metals · belt · probe · zero-gravity · excavation · prospecting · rocket · refinery
mining asteroidsunderground mining
Excavating minerals from tunnels
surface mining · coal mining · strip mining · quarrying · oil drilling
mining asteroidsrecycling
Reprocessing used materials
manufacturing · urban mining · sustainable harvesting · 3D printing · circular economy
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