this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2024
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Futurology

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This thread is for a open discussion of the named question.

Do you believe that miningoperation on asteroids are possible? Or not? Why?

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[–] Lugh@futurology.today 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

We know it's technically possible, the question is if it's economically worthwhile. If space launch from Earth is cheap, the further out that date is. Reusable rockets and railgun launches could make launches much cheaper. On the other hand, when it comes to building large-scale structures in space, asteroid mining makes sense, but how far away is that day?

Precious metals like gold/platinum would be easier to get hold of there. But then if you flood the market back on Earth with them, they start to go down in value. Gold is only valuable now because it's rare.