Mining.com reports, “California-based AstroForge, a pioneer in the field of space mining, is preparing to launch the first fully commercial deep-space mission with the ambitious goal of harvesting precious metals from asteroids. CEO Matt Gialich envisions a future where mining in space alleviates Earth’s resource constraints by tapping into the vast, untapped deposits found on asteroids and other celestial bodies. In a conversation with MINING.COM’s host Devan Murugan, Gialich said that AstroForge’s unique positioning in space will enable the company to achieve profit margins superior to traditional, earth-based mining, largely due to the abundance and purity of space resources.”
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Tag: AstroForge
Startups Seek to Mine Asteroids
NBC News reports that asteroid mining is “a tantalizing but elusive prospect for innovators and investors alike.” Asteroids are a potential source of platinum and “other precious and rare earth metals that are essential for producing many consumer electronics.” However, there are technological hurdles to extracting them, so “some companies have focused on mining water from icy deposits on the moon or space rocks first before jumping to precious metals.” NBC focuses on startup AstroForge, which has its first test mission to demonstrate key technologies scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday.
Full Story (NBC News)