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Articles on Asteroid mining

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Mining an asteroid probably won’t look exactly like mining does on Earth, but some principles will stay the same. posteriori/iStock via Getty Images

NASA’s robotic prospectors are helping scientists understand what asteroids are made of – setting the stage for miners to follow someday

Upcoming NASA missions will help scientists understand the composition of asteroids – which could inform companies one day hoping to commercially mine asteroids.
How close can a potentially dangerous asteroid get before it’s detected? Shutterstock/Alexyz3d

Why dangerous asteroids heading to Earth are so hard to detect

We’re finding more near-Earth objects all the time, and the challenge is to identify those that could potentially hit us. So how come we missed one that caused a huge blast in December?
Edwin E. ‘Buzz’ Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag deployed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Neil A. Armstrong/NASA/AP Photo

Who owns the moon? A space lawyer answers

Fifty years ago, on July 20, 1969, American astronauts planted a US flag on the moon. A space lawyer explains the implications, who owns the moon, and what it means for lunar mining.
A rocket carrying the NBN’s Sky Muster II satellite. Perhaps one day Australia might have more direct involvement in space activities. AAP Image/National Broadband Network

Why it’s time for Australia to launch its own space agency

An Australian Space Agency could capitalise on our history working with NASA and the ESA and boost our entry into the expanding commercial space industry.
Antarctica is managed by the Antarctic Treaty System, which regulates what states and private companies can do. The National Guard

Antarctica may hold the key to regulating mining in space

If we’re going to mine asteroids, then we need an international treaty to prevent it becoming a wild west. Thankfully we can look to Antarctica to see how such a treaty might work.
Gold rush? jovom

Why we should mine the moon

To date, all human economic activity has depended on the material and energy resources of a single planet; understandably, perhaps. It is conceivable though that future advances in space exploration could…
China is ramping up its space missions. Reuters

Who owns space?

The golden age of planetary exploration had voyagers navigating new sea routes to uncharted territory. These territories were then claimed in the name of the monarchs who had financed the expeditions…

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