How much does it cost to mine asteroids?

Asteroid mining has been the stuff of science fiction, but the new company Planetary Resources plans to do it for real. It's possible by 2025 for $2.6 billion, a study says. read more

John S. Lewis, professor of planetary science and author of Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets, takes it much further. He has estimated that asteroid 3554 Amun is worth $20 trillion, including iron, nickel, and cobalt in addition to platinum — enough to pay off the U.S. national debt, currently approaching $16.5 trillion. read more

They don't see how it could be cost-effective, even with platinum and gold worth nearly $1,600 an ounce. An upcoming NASA mission to return just 2 ounces (60 grams) of an asteroid to Earth will cost about $1 billion. Scientists question how the company can reduce costs to the point where 'space mining' will be profitable. read more