Mining in space may cost less than on Earth

Melbourne

GETTING a mine up and running on the moon or an asteroid would cost less than building the biggest gas terminals on Earth, according to research presented to a forum of company executives and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) scientists.

A mission to Ceres, a dwarf planet 257 million miles from the Sun and the size of Texas, may cost about US$27 billion. The expense includes 10 rocket launchers to convey equipment, the extraction of metals and water, and the construction of an in-orbit facility to process the raw materials. The costing comes from graduate business students at Australia's University of New South Wales, whic…