Not only does the Earth have the necessary resources for so many processes that allow us to have everything we have today. Other planetary bodies, such as the Moon or Mars, contain significant deposits of valuable resources.

That the Earth is seeing how we consume its resources at exponential levels is a fact. That is why our eagerness to know if there are materials in other planetary bodies finally bore fruit.

Be aware of the existence of useful resources for human beings on other planets such as Mars or even comets and asteroids, it has caught the attention of both researchers and industry, with the hope of one day extracting them to sustain the economy or our future in one of them.

However it is easier said than done and Obtaining them will previously suppose some remains that we are going to have to overcome.

On-site resource utilization

This is basic stuff. And it is that, when you think of mining outside the Earth, you can imagine extracting materials from various bodies in space and bringing them back to Earth. However this is unlikely to happen.

The most beneficial option will be extract these materials and use them for on-site development. NASA is currently exploring the possibility of building buildings on the Moon with 3D printing.

It would have to be mostly automated, or remotely controlled

Robotics has to improve a lot before we can exploit the planetary bodies we want.

Although spacecraft have landed on asteroids multiple times and even retrieved samples, the success rate is still very low.

environmental considerations

Mining in space can help reduce the amount of mining needed on Earth. But the big handicap is that this will mean a greater number of rocket launches.

Although harvesting resources in space might mean not having to launch them from Earth, more launches are inevitable as the space economy grows.

Also, each celestial body has different atmospheres, gravity, geology, and environments. How these conditions will affect operations off Earth is still largely unknown.

Despite all the problems that may arise, Most of them already know each other and although it is still early, several companies are developing technologies for off-Earth mining, space resource exploration, and other uses in space.

Space Mining Corporation, for example, is developing the infrastructure needed to support life in space, including oxygen generators.

The American company OffWorld develops industrial robots for operations on Earth, the Moon, asteroids and Mars. And the Asteroid Mining Corporation is also working to establish a market for space resources.