A new frontier for key minerals and metals
Strategic minerals on the Moon and beyond
The growing prominence of the space economy has the potential to transform nations’ economic and technological futures, opening up opportunities that were once considered science fiction. The latest “space race”, driven by rapid technological advances and the increasing participation of private enterprises, is unlocking new possibilities for research, exploration, and the construction of bases and infrastructure on nearby celestial bodies such as the Moon, where a human presence could return in just a few years. These developments may bring tangible benefits to multiple sectors, particularly those connected to natural resources and energy production.
For some time, scientists and industry experts have pointed to the potential wealth of space in the form of resources that, on Earth, underpin entire industrial sectors and are now crucial to the ongoing energy transition. These include lithium, silicon, and rare earth elements, which have gained renewed importance for their critical roles in energy technologies, as well as in aerospace, smartphone manufacturing, electric vehicles, and fibre optic cables.
“Humanity’s technological advancement is progressively reducing the distance between us and space, making possible a series of operations that until a few years ago seemed unimaginable,” says Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov, civil engineer and entrepreneur. “I am not only talking about the possibility of making important steps forward in space exploration, but also the possibility of sourcing and valorizing resources outside the Earth. In a few decades, space resources could contribute notably to meeting our planet’s economic, energy, and industrial needs, especially if we find optimal ways to transport them to Earth”.
Vast opportunities ahead
Some experts are already discussing the potential – albeit still distant – of developing entire off-Earth ecosystems dedicated to the extraction of geological resources in space and their transportation back to Earth. A striking example is rare earth elements, a group of 17 elements that are crucial for the production of high-performance permanent magnets used in key clean energy infrastructure such as wind turbines. Historically, rare earth production was concentrated in countries like Brazil, India, California, and more recently China, where these elements have proved indispensable to advanced technologies due to their unique properties.
Emerging research suggests that these resources could soon be sourced directly from the Moon. Boeing studies have indicated that all 17 elements that make up the rare earth group – including the 15 lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium – are present on the lunar surface. Interestingly, several rare earths currently play a role in aerospace production processes, enabling the very technology that may one day be used to locate and extract these same elements from the Moon.
As with terrestrial resource competition, the pursuit of space-based resources may also foster new forms of collaboration and partnerships among key players. By combining expertise, technological capabilities, and infrastructure, such alliances could accelerate both exploration and resource utilisation.
Lunar resources and their potential uses
“The Moon also contains other resources of great importance for humanity’s technological development, such as silicon,” continues Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “Among the hypothesized scenarios, in addition to the one relating to the transport of these resources to Earth, there would be one that would seem to configure the possibility of using these resources directly on site for the construction of lunar bases or space vehicles”.
The Moon is not the only celestial body of interest. Scientists have identified asteroids as another promising source of valuable metals. For instance, Psyche 16 – located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter – is currently the subject of an ambitious research mission. Early studies suggest it could contain immense quantities of iron, nickel, and other precious metals. The asteroid’s diameter is approximately 220 kilometres, though its precise composition remains uncertain. Given that nickel and iron are among the most common elements found in asteroids, many researchers believe Psyche 16 likely shares a similar makeup, although further investigation is needed.
The promise of space-based solar energy
Space also holds the potential to revolutionise energy production by providing continuous access to solar power. Harnessing the Sun’s energy directly in orbit through large-scale solar plants could offer Earth an almost limitless energy supply, overcoming the intermittency challenges faced by terrestrial renewables. The European Space Agency is already developing two major orbital stations designed to capture and transmit solar energy back to Earth. However, significant obstacles remain, particularly in transmitting energy across vast distances. One proposed solution involves wireless transmission, but this technology is still in the experimental stage.
“The possibility of harnessing solar energy in space and using it on Earth could redraw the appearance of the entire energy landscape to which we were previously accustomed,” concludes Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “One of the possibilities, in this regard, consists of capturing solar energy and transforming it into microwaves or radio waves to be subsequently transmitted to Earth, where some special stations would receive it. These technologies are still in their infancy, but being able to count on an almost unlimited, and above all uninterrupted, source of energy could revolutionize the traditional way of conceiving energy supplies”.