Unveiling the Promising Future of Asteroid Mining and the Urgent Need to Identify City-Killing Asteroids

The space mining industry is gaining momentum as companies like AstroForge, Trans Astronautica Corporation, and Karman+ prepare to test their technology in space. Economists have published papers considering the potential growth of economic activity in space, driven by the demand for critical metals used in electronics, renewable energy, and electric car components. A study suggests that in the next few decades, space mining could surpass Earth mining in the production of certain metals. Metallic asteroids contain abundant reserves of nickel, cobalt, iron, platinum, and other metals. The development of reusable rockets has significantly reduced launch costs, making space mining more feasible. However, the study also highlights the social and environmental costs of Earth mining, such as child labor and environmental degradation.