经济日报：太空采矿何时成真

Core Viewpoint - Space mining, once a concept from science fiction, is becoming a reality as countries and companies explore the potential of extracting resources from celestial bodies to address Earth's resource scarcity [1][5]. Group 1: Economic Potential - The economic value of space mining is immense, with NASA reporting that many asteroids are rich in resources, including a significant gold and platinum deposit on asteroid "16 Psyche" valued at over $80 trillion [2]. - The CEO of Fleet Space Technologies described asteroids as "floating mines" worth trillions of dollars, highlighting the lucrative nature of space mining ventures [2]. Group 2: Technological Developments - Various countries and organizations are advancing space mining technologies, with NASA successfully returning approximately 250 grams of precious rocks and dust from the Bennu asteroid in 2023 [1]. - Japan's space agency has also collected samples from the near-Earth C-type asteroid "Ryugu," demonstrating the feasibility of space mining [1]. Group 3: Commercial Initiatives - Commercial space mining companies are emerging, such as Planetary Resources, which aimed to develop low-cost spacecraft for asteroid mining, and AstroForge, which raised $40 million in Series A funding [4]. - Interlune plans to launch a lunar mining machine in 2025, with agreements in place to sell helium-3 extracted from the Moon, potentially valued at $300 million [4]. Group 4: Challenges and Obstacles - Despite the promising economic outlook, space mining faces significant challenges, including initial investment costs estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars for lunar mining [5]. - The influx of rare resources could lead to market volatility and price crashes, posing risks to the commercial viability of space mining [5]. - International legal frameworks regarding space mining are inconsistent, with the Outer Space Treaty establishing space resources as a common heritage, complicating unilateral extraction efforts by nations [5].