Downvoted for the Reddit link. If you read the Forbes article linked in the Reddit post, you see that it's kinda cool! The startup behind this has apparently done a test resource extraction mission successfully in 2023. These things are more test missions that would take a really really long time. So the timeline is incredibly long, but it's cool regardless in my opinion.
this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2024
3 points (63.6% liked)
Futurology
1757 readers
258 users here now
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Even with a long timeline, it seems a bit early for asteroid mining. Until in-space manufacturing gets going, it would likely be profitable for only a few platinum-group elements, and even then I'm not sure.
Oh great, capitalism has extended its greedy hand beyond our planet. It was better when governments were doing space missions, it was at least mostly for scientific interest and the good of humanity as a whole.
Or to show the other superpower that we have better rockets.
Oh so you'd find it better if those greedy companies would destroy our planet, jungles and oceans full of life instead of a lifeless asteroid somewhere in the galaxy huh? Think about it
Not at all. But it's not a choice between those two, they would do both. It's a choice between only doing one, on our planet, and additionally destroying the solar system, not carefully and cautiously in the name of humanity's progress, but in a mad pecuniary rush.