Space Race II: Mining
Space Race II: Mining
Joanna Cheng Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
When we think of the future of space innovation, we think of orbital hotels, leisure spacecraft rides, and colonies on the moon, but the sheer amount of resources necessary to fund these ventures would be mind-boggling. As natural resources on Earth become scarcer and scarcer, it turns out that space, the very place we wish to conquer, may hold the key to our success. After all, celestial bodies like the moon, Mars, and asteroids contain bountiful resources waiting to be excavated through a process called space mining. Space mining may become a reality in the future, but before that future is thrust upon us, it is vital that we understand its economic, political, social, and environmental effects and take action to prevent a second space race.
Humanity has long gazed at the stars in awe and inspiration, but only recently have we begun to step into space’s domain. As we have sent expeditions to the moon and beyond, scientists have discovered that extraterrestrial bodies contain heaps upon heaps of resources that may be essential in sustaining the ever-growing human population. One of the most important resources that could launch the ventures of space mining is water. If this precious substance in the form of ice could be mined from celestial bodies, we could use it to make rocket propellant and create fueling stations on far-off extraterrestrial bodies. This would expand humankind’s reach across the fabric of our galaxy [1]. Besides ice, asteroids also contain immense amounts of precious metals, such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum [2]. These six platinum group metals (PGMs) act as catalysts in fuel cells and are necessary for the employment of hydrogen as a clean fuel. However, platinum is so scarce on our planet that a single asteroid may contain more of it than the amount that was ever present on the Earth. Therefore, if companies begin to mine these PGMs, the potential profits could be in the trillions [5].
With all this talk of precious metals, water, and huge profits, entrepreneurs are ready to take on the challenge. Companies, such as Kepler Energy and Space Engineering (KESE) and Deep Space Industries (DSI), have lofty goals for the future; they have hopes to begin mining in the early part of this decade [5]. Space mining will not be easy and will likely require the use of many pieces of expensive equipment. First, a drone must survey the asteroid and find suitable places for landing. Then, robotic vehicles can land on the planet and excavate the minerals and metals [3]. Companies have also begun planning in-orbit manufacturing facilities that can create parts in space rather than on Earth. The lack of atmosphere and gravity in orbit makes it easier to manufacture and work with pure materials. Also, since many of the metals mined may eventually be used to create spacecraft, it is more cost-efficient for the components to be made in space rather than being made on Earth and then launched [1].
Space mining holds benefits for not only profit-seeking companies, but researchers as well. Scientists have long been fascinated by the solar system, seeking to obtain fresh data on the planets and stars. Space mining could be an opportunity for the collection of a vast amount of data on the composition of various planets and asteroids. A topic of interest for many years has been the presence of liquid water on other bodies of the solar system, and once space mining companies seek water in their commercial ventures, scientists will have the data they have long desired. The valuable information that space mining could provide is priceless to researchers that have long been hoping to widen humankind’s knowledge of what lies beyond Earth [2].
Space mining may also serve to lessen the heavy environmental load Earth mining has on the ecosystem. Mining on Earth releases pollutants and greenhouse gases, such as methane, so space mining could be crucial in protecting our planet [2]. On the other hand, asteroid mining may release large amounts of unwanted debris and pollution into space, which some fear may ruin the natural space environment [5]. Also, some may complain that frequent rocket launches will nullify the positive effect of relocating mining. Their fears are not unfounded; scientists have great concerns for the effect launches may have on the depletion of the ozone layer, but it is likely that the benefit of moving mining to space will be much greater than the environmental consequences of the increased rocket launches [2]. Looking farther into the future than the immediate benefits to Earth, it is still unknown how space mining will affect the environment of outer space. Furthermore, the difficulty of creating policies to govern extraterrestrial operations means that when space mining becomes a reality, companies may neglect to keep outer space pristine. It is essential that we preserve the beautiful solar system for future generations.
One of the main issues brought up by these lucrative and beneficial possibilities is potential political disagreements. The Outer Space Treaty, created in 1967, states that space is for all nations to share peacefully and that no nation is to claim sovereignty over outer space territory. The 1979 Moon Agreement extended the terms of the Outer Space Treaty by preventing countries from disturbing celestial bodies’ environments and forbidding space mining until international policies have been created concerning the topic. Nevertheless, most large nations, such as the US, China, and Russia, have not ratified the Moon Agreement and have instead created their own laws. The US Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship (SPACE) Act of 2015 allows US citizens to claim ownership over any space materials they mine, and Luxembourg followed suit with similar legislation in 2017. Although these laws may seem like a violation of the Outer Space Treaty, space mining advocates contend that the terms of the treaty only apply to territory and not resources [5].
Looking into the worst case scenarios, critics of space mining only see destruction and war in its future. Drilling into an asteroid could affect its speed and direction, and as technology continues to develop, mining could unintentionally—or even intentionally—redirect the path of asteroids to collide with the Earth. This could be seen as the new nuclear bomb [3]. Moreover, although countries endeavor to keep space interactions peaceful, the situation could spiral out of control into a 21st century resource rush, in which countries scramble to stake their claims on the resources of celestial bodies. As the quantities of resources on Earth diminish, this could even lead to wars among countries, similar to how wars are fought over oil [3].
Although the possibility of mass destruction due to space mining may seem far-fetched, it may cause other more likely global consequences. Space exploration has served to greatly benefit the countries that can afford to launch satellites, shuttles, and exploration vehicles into space. These devices can guide us with directions, predict the weather, and allow us to access the internet. However, what about less developed countries that don’t have the budget to expand into space and reap these benefits? This so-called “Space Gap” would only grow wider if first-come first-served space mining took off. Some suggested remedies have been to fairly redistribute the minerals mined from outer space among all nations, although this would likely cause protest from countries who spend billions to send shuttles to space [2]. Nonetheless, any form of space mining, whether distributed equally or not, would have devastating impacts on countries who rely on a main export of minerals and PGMs, most of whom have low income economies. Space mining would render their products virtually useless [2]. Furthermore, looking at the global economy, the overmining of platinum could result in its devaluing as a resource and it might eventually become as common or cheap as aluminum [4].
After carefully analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of space mining, it seems that the world is not quite ready to make the leap into the solar system for resource excavation. Although the potential profits are enormous, money only leads to greed. Before the pristine solar system is stained by a second space race in the name of financial interest, it is vital that all spacefaring countries accept a mutual binding contract that spells out humanity’s responsibility of preserving the final frontier. With the possibilities of the space environment’s degradation, asteroid warfare, and the widening “Space Gap”, we must not rush into the future blindly. Although entrepreneurs are taking the initiative to capitalize on space mining, they should wait until concrete policies, institutions, and agreements are created to deal with space mining.
There is no telling what the future of space exploration will bring. Plans to mine space resources are well underway, and permanent space colonies may only be a few centuries away. As our knowledge and reach into the realm of the stars expands, it remains to be seen whether peace will rule or whether we will taint the Moon with violence and debris. Humanity on Earth has looked upon the bloodshed of wars and the deterioration of our once beautiful environment with horror, but perhaps the final frontier of space will give us a chance to start once again.
References
[1] Cookson, C. (2017, October 19). Space mining takes giant leap from sci-fi to reality. Financial Times. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www-ft-com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/78e8cc84-7076-11e7-93ff-99f383b09ff9
[2] Dallas, J. A., Raval, S., Gaitan, J. P., Saydam, S., & Dempster, A. G. (2020). Mining beyond earth for sustainable development: Will humanity benefit from resource extraction in outer space? Acta Astronautica, 167, 181-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro. 2019.11.006
[3] Fox, S. J. (2019). Policing mining: In outer-space greed and domination vs. peace and equity a governance for humanity! Resources Policy, 64, 101517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101517
[4] Mallick, S., & Rajagopalan, R. P. (2019, January 24). If space is 'the province of mankind', who owns its resources? Observer Research Foundation. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www.orfonline.org/research/if-space-is-the-province-of-mankind-who-owns-its-resources-47561/
[5] Paikowsky, D., & Tzezana, R. (2018). The politics of space mining – an account of a simulation game. Acta Astronautica, 142, 10-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2017.10.016
