Scientists from Siberian Federal University (SFU), together with specialists from NTC "Geotechnology", have studied the prospects of space resource extraction. According to researchers, industrial development of asteroids and the Moon could become the foundation for producing goods beyond Earth.
The global space economy already exceeds $500 billion, and by 2040, according to various estimates, it could reach $1-2.7 trillion. As explained by Alexander Kirsanov, co-author of the study and Candidate of Technical Sciences at SFU, a significant portion of this growth will be associated with the use of extraterrestrial resources to support lunar bases, orbital logistics, and power generation in space.
According to scientists, in the future, space could host its own production of goods for Earth and products for the needs of the space sector itself – fuel and infrastructure elements. The key condition for this will be the extraction of natural resources from asteroids, the Moon, and other celestial bodies.
Industrial extraction remains a prospect for the future, but the necessary technologies are already being developed. Among them is the "optical mining" method, which uses concentrated sunlight to heat and evaporate volatile substances from asteroids and lunar soil. Metallic asteroids (rich in iron, nickel, and platinum group metals), carbonaceous asteroids (containing organic matter and water), and lunar regolith, suitable for producing building materials, are considered as resource sources.
As part of the study, scientists analyzed data from over a thousand companies involved in various areas of the space economy. More than 60% of such projects are in the development and conceptual design stages.