Economics Explained recently published a video explaining how using space as a way to get resources will never be economically viable. It doesn’t matter how cheap you can produce something if the shipping cost is $5,000 per gram. We’d sooner syphon gold out of ocean water than get it from an asteroid.
Space travel is a great investment when it comes to discovering new technologies that revolutionize life, but a terrible investment for resource extraction.
It’s great if the resources go from space, to space and stay the hell away from major gravity wells.
So space station colonies or colonies on dwarf planets and smaller moons.
Remember, a good 90% of the cost is “how do we leave the planet” and then most of the rocket is shed. All that waste wouldn’t be needed if we never touch down on planets to begin with.
Economics Explained recently published a video explaining how using space as a way to get resources will never be economically viable. It doesn’t matter how cheap you can produce something if the shipping cost is $5,000 per gram. We’d sooner syphon gold out of ocean water than get it from an asteroid.
Space travel is a great investment when it comes to discovering new technologies that revolutionize life, but a terrible investment for resource extraction.
It’s great if the resources go from space, to space and stay the hell away from major gravity wells.
So space station colonies or colonies on dwarf planets and smaller moons.
Remember, a good 90% of the cost is “how do we leave the planet” and then most of the rocket is shed. All that waste wouldn’t be needed if we never touch down on planets to begin with.
Hence the interest in a lunar base, especially one that can produce fuel from local water