The production of "rare metals" needed for our PCs and smartphones is causing a lot of environmental damage, such as air pollution and water pollution. In the future, rare metals will be extracted from "asteroid mining", which is thought to potentially replace existing Mining ind

The production of " rare metals " required for our PCs and smartphones is causing great environmental damage, such as air pollution and water pollution. In the future, rare metals will be extracted from " asteroid mining ", This is seen as potentially replacing the existing mining industry.

Over the past few decades, PCs and smartphones have become humanity's most influential tools

rare metals such as coronium , neodymium and tantalum . are used in such PCs and smartphones.

However, the mining industry that produces rare metals not only causes air and water pollution and damages the landscape, but also emits dangerous chemicals such as cyanide and sulfuric acid, which Damage to biodiversity and worker health.

Another problem is that resources such as rare metals are considered "politically traded materials" due to export restrictions

The solution to this mining problem on Earth is "asteroid mining", Many asteroids in the universe carry out mining operations. The smallest ones are about 1 meter, but there are also huge asteroids, such as Vesta, which has an area the size of Switzerland. Most of the asteroids make up . The asteroid belt , such as the main belt the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt and the Jupiter Troia group , while other asteroids orbit the planet

As space development progresses, this. The rare resources of an asteroid are attracting people's attention.

This is because even smaller asteroids can contain expensive metals such as platinum.

Metallic asteroids 16Psyche rotating between Mars and Jupiter are rich in metals such as iron, nickel, gold and platinum, which have long been needed by world industry. Multi-quadrillion dollar minerals have been in the spotlight.

However, the mining of large quantities of expensive metals from asteroids cannot replace mining on Earth if it comes at great cost.

In asteroid mining, asteroids containing mineral resources useful to humans are moved to the Earth side and then separated into individual resources. However, this approach still currently presents many technical challenges.

One of the challenges is the cost of traveling in outer space. The fuel cost of flying a 1 kilogram object in low orbit is several thousand dollars. The cost of entering space is very high. The cost of space travel needs to be reduced to make asteroid mining feasible.

One promising way to reduce the cost of space travel is electric propulsion, which uses electric to replace rocket engines that use chemical fuels. Electric propulsion technology has been put into practical use, and the asteroid detector "Hyabusa2" of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is equipped with an ion engine.

Electric propulsion does not have enough output to reach outer space, but once there, it has the characteristics to travel long distances on low-cost fuel, thus solving a problem in asteroid mining.

Since an asteroid resource sampling project has been carried out, the project meets the requirements of "close to the earth", "rich in useful mineral resources" and "suitable for human size". Can recognize steroids .

The first thing a space mining ship approaching a target asteroid must do is to "stop the rotation of the asteroid."If the asteroid rotates, it will affect transportation, so it will be necessary to vaporize part of it with a laser to provide mechanical energy or to fix it with thrusters to stop the rotation.

After stopping the asteroid's rotation, wait until it reaches a position where it can easily return to Earth's orbit.

"Moon's gravity" is important when returning to Earth's orbit. If it passes near the moon, the moon's gravity can be used to change its orbit significantly, at no cost.

Once it reaches the vicinity of Earth, we will begin to dismantle the asteroid. Mining in outer space is very different from mining on Earth, where a giant mirror collects sunlight, heats the rock, and then uses an grinder to turn the rock into gravel and dust.

Metal resources extracted from rocks are transported to Earth using reusable rockets or using 3D printers installed on space mining ships, covering the metal resources with capsules and dropping them directly to the Earth.

Asteroid mining is the first step in colonizing the solar system.

Asteroid mining technology is expected to become more sophisticated as our infrastructure expands and experience is gained. If technological innovation progresses, it may even be possible to produce rockets and fuel in factories built on asteroids and send mined metal resources to Earth.

Once we can carry out asteroid mining, we will be able to obtain a large amount of precious mineral resources on the earth, which will bring technological innovation. Therefore, it is expected that the cost of the second asteroid mining will drop significantly compared with the first, and the cost of the third will drop further, leading to a virtuous cycle.

If the cost of asteroid mining continues to fall, it could stop mining on Earth entirely. In the future, mining on Earth may become an anachronism, often invisible, like kerosene lamps.