Asteroid mining is the hypothetical extraction of raw materials from asteroids and other minor planets, including near-Earth objects. Key resources include water (for rocket fuel and life support), precious metals like platinum and gold, and construction materials like iron and nickel. This industry aims to enable a self-sustaining space economy and reduce the need to launch resources from Earth.
The idea has appeared in science fiction for decades but became a serious subject of engineering study in the 1970s. Companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries (founded in the 2010s) brought the concept into the commercial spotlight, although technical and economic challenges remain significant.
While no commercial mining has occurred yet, space agencies (NASA, ESA, JAXA) have successfully returned samples from asteroids (e.g., Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-REx). The legal framework is evolving with laws like the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015, and startups continue to develop prospecting and extraction technologies.