9 September 2020

Cosmic mining refers to mining activities located outside Earth, on other celestial bodies within the solar system, or potentially in other planetary systems in the future. Wealthy countries are attempting to develop cosmic mining, hoping for high returns from the extraction of scarce metals on Earth, such as platinum or gold. However, to start extracting these types of minerals, appropriate technology for transporting the raw materials within, for example, the solar system is required. Currently, we have rocket propulsion technology that enables this type of exploration of cosmic resources, but it will take some time before rocket-based technology allows for more concrete actions. Cosmic mining is not a simple matter, as the solar system is vast from the perspective of life on a single planet like Earth, and transportation as well as extraction will inherently involve highly sophisticated logistics and the flow of goods between mines, which would send refined materials back to Earth. Earth civilization lacks experience in this type of advanced exploration, but it is indeed still at the beginning of its journey into space, with most missions so far focusing on Earth's orbit.