The space object is located between Mars and Jupiter, about 750,000 million kilometers from Earth, and contains many heavy metals – for example gold, iron and nickel – for every inhabitant of the planet to receive a trillion dollars. NASA plans to explore the asteroid from 2022.
Scott Moore, executive director of EuroSun Mining, said:
The "golden titans" now control hundreds of the world's most productive properties, but the 4 or 5 million ounces of gold they bring to market each year pale in comparison to the results available in space.
However, John Zarnecki, professor and chairman of the Royal Astronomical Society of the UK, estimated that it would take about 25 years for a "conceptual demonstration" to draw gold out of space and half a century to start commercial production. All this would depend on two key factors: its economic profitability and the development of our space technology.
Space Gold Fever
At present, powers like the United States and China are already taking positions for what, according to Mitch Hunter-Scullion, founder of the Asteroid Mining Company, will be the next boom in the mining sector. Europe and Japan have also shown interest.
Hunter-Scullion says:
Once the infrastructure is configured, the possibilities are almost infinite
He added that those who can take advantage of this "race of asteroids could earn an astronomical amount of money."
Scott Moore believes that 16 Psyche is just "the first step in this adventure" of exploring the space for gold as there are asteroids close to Earth that could be drawn into an orbit from which it would be possible to extract various resources. In addition, the moon contains gold and platinum and rare metals, and scientists say the satellite is of sufficient gravity for mining to work there. Meanwhile, in the same region of 16 Psyche, there is another small asteroid 200 meters long with an amount of platinum that is believed to be worth about 30 billion dollars.
The global asteroid mining market is estimated to reach $ 3.8 billion by 2025, taking into account current and future missions, as well as increasing investment in technology for the industry, such as the specialized spacecraft for this mission. Other forecasts put this market at $ 2.7 billion by 2040.
(Source)