There is an asteroid named Amun with a diameter of about 2.5 kilometers. According to scientists' estimates, it contains platinum mineral deposits worth more than $20 trillion.
When the asteroids can be clearly labeled as "price", people begin to realize vaguely that they will no longer be dark, dark, and indifferent, but are full of dollar signs and glow with golden light. Astral.
Perhaps you will still have a slight hesitation about the commercialization of space. However, two private companies in the United States have swooped their sleeves toward the golden asteroids. If we say that space in the future will really become the back garden of the earth with its treasures, then the owner of the garden is probably the two companies. They will be the "Middle East United Arab Emirates" in space, and they will enjoy an inexhaustible treasure. Their names are "Deep Space Industries" (DSI) and Planetary Resources . The former has signed a government-level cooperation agreement with Luxembourg, and the latter stands behind the director James Kamme. Ron, Google founder Larry Page, and other such notable names.
Recently, DSI issued a statement on its official website that disclosed details of its plan to go to asteroids in 2020 and implement mineral exploration. The "planetary resources" will launch a spacecraft named Arkyd-6A later this year and use the infrared wavelengths to observe the earth as a drill for asteroid surface geological scans.
Although these business plans are undoubtedly cool, but it is very "burning money", there is a very direct question is: whether the return on investment of the small planet mining cost?
If you say return on investment, first of all, there is no clear data conclusion. However, based on the following aspects, we can see the potential huge profit rate of the asteroid mining market.
Rich in raw materials: precious metals, water and fuel
According to scientists, there are more than 100 million asteroids in the solar system, of which more than 90% are distributed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in the region known as the “main asteroid belt†(as shown in the figure below), while the rest are scattered throughout the solar system. Some of them have become so-called "near-earth asteroids" near the earth.
In addition to a large number of precious metals, the near-Earth asteroid is surprising: Near-Earth asteroids contain almost all water . These waters are very valuable in the space field and are equivalent to the "oil" on the earth. They can be turned into fuel for the rockets and aircraft, and can provide oxygen and water to space residents.
Although some asteroids are difficult to extract and most of them are located between Mars and Jupiter, which are far away from Earth, there are 2 million near-Earth asteroids, enough for DSI and "planetary resources."
So how much is the value of so many asteroids? A website called “Asterank†has established a database for more than 600,000 asteroids. Through various scientific resources, they collect as much information as possible about the size, type, mineral type, etc. of asteroids, and estimate each small The potential value of the planet, which is clearly expressed in "dollars", and some asteroids have a valuation of 100 trillion US dollars. The following picture is taken from the screenshot of Asterank's official website and feel about this huge space market.
The explosion of space business brings customers
Including Muske's SpaceX, Amazon Bezos's space travel company Blue Origin, NASA, and Musk's promotion of Mars immigration program, Google Lunar X-Prize lunar signing contest, lunar base, etc., as the US government encourages private companies to explore space. The introduction of the bill, these private companies have launched spacecraft into space, can not wait to explore, occupy and mined, and they are potential customers of DSI and "planetary resources", because they generally face the same problem: continue to send supplies from the earth. Too high .
According to statistics, even the latest launch technology costs about 17 million US dollars per ton. The cost of transporting an ordinary domestic swimming pool to near-Earth orbit is about $800 million. This is only a near-Earth orbit, not Mars . “Low Earth Orbit†refers to an altitude of 160-2000 km above sea level. The distance between the Moon and the Earth is 380,000 km. The distance between Mars and the Earth constantly changes with time, and the closest distance between them is about 55 million kilometers. The longest distance is over 400 million kilometers. Imagine how much would be a huge cost if you were to transport materials from Earth to the moon and the aircraft and personnel on Mars.
Therefore, most of the satellites will be abandoned after the fuel is used up, because it is not as good as re-launching oneself from the earth. In a speech to TED, David Gump, vice chairman of the DSI board, mentioned that the single supplemental fuel for a satellite could add $100 million in revenue to its owners. And these fuels can also be supplied to the moon and the planets on Mars.
The reason why the transportation of materials from the earth is expensive is because the gravity of the earth is too great. The equipment and fuel needed to escape the gravitational force of the Earth are costly. The gravity of the asteroid is negligible, which greatly facilitates the taking off and landing of the spacecraft and the construction of mining equipment .
However, this is based on the improvement of the asteroid infrastructure. In 2012, according to statistics from the KISS Institute, the cost of transporting 500 tons of materials back to low Earth orbit was US$2.6 billion, which is not yet the cost of various infrastructure constructions on asteroids. But “planetary resources†immediately gave a profit estimate that could offset the cost: According to the market value of 2012, a platinum-rich asteroid with a diameter of about 30 meters will contain a value of 250-500 billion U.S. dollars. Once the infrastructure is built, The return on investment is extremely impressive.
So not every asteroid's return on investment is worth it. The first thing the mining company needs to do is to determine the value of an asteroid, which is its “diggibility†. Moreover, prospecting companies do not specifically go to the asteroid to bring geological samples back to Earth. Although this is a scientist's dream, it is not worthwhile for private companies. What the DSI and the "planetary resources" have to do is launch the prospector above and below one of the asteroids to assess their commercial value. If this asteroid is of high enough value, build a mining base on top of it and give it to Earth. The scientists returned samples that they were waiting for and the "products" that made a huge profit.
DSI is very careful about its future business prospects. David Gump He divided the market for asteroid mining into three categories: fuel for communication satellites; water and fuel for space capsules; and platinum, gold, and silver minerals collected on asteroids, “exported†to Earth.
According to Daniel Faber, CEO of DSI, humanity will be built into a space city after 30 years. The products that DSI will sell at that time are: oxygen, building materials, water and propellants.
Extended reading:
What was the first time in history that Moon Express, the private aircraft company that was allowed to land on the moon, had come to the fore?
Go to the asteroid! US Deep Space Announces Its 2020 Space Exploration Program
Aluminum Laptop Stand, eight highlights, powerful functions, bid farewell to the sultry heat, and welcome the cool moments of summer. Desktop Laptop Stand Adjustable height, hollow heat dissipation, block angle design, multiple compatibility, strong stability, portable and easy to carry. Portable Laptop Stand guiding a healthy posture to raise your head to work, a small figure is great for magic, unlock a new posture, you can put mobile phones, tablets, books, computers.
Laptop Stand Upright,Desktops Laptop Stand Upright,Laptop Support Adjustable Upright,Alloy Upright Laptop Stand
Shenzhen ChengRong Technology Co.,Ltd. , https://www.laptopstandsupplier.com