In 2026, the prelude to the first year of space industrialization is gradually unfolding. Following space computing power and space-based solar energy, “space mining” has emerged as a new high-frequency focus, incorporated into the strategic plans of many countries and advancing from conceptual competition to a phase of systemic rivalry. This vision, once confined solely to science fiction, is steadily transitioning into reality as major spacefaring nations including China, the United States, the European Union, and Japan push forward with their layouts.
The rise of space mining is no accident. On one hand, Earth is facing bottlenecks in critical mineral resources. Minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, and rare earths—essential for supporting strategic emerging industries like next-generation information technology and new energy—have limited reserves, uneven distribution, and low supply elasticity, making it difficult to meet future development needs. On the other hand, space harbors vast untapped resources: The Moon is rich in silicon, titanium, and helium-3 (a key raw material for controlled nuclear fusion), while near-Earth asteroids contain iron, nickel, platinum-group metals, and more. Notably, NASA once discovered mineral deposits of gold, iron, nickel, and other metals on the asteroid “16 Psyche” valued at a staggering 700 trillion euros, presenting immense allure.
Major global spacefaring nations have already taken action to map out their space resource development roadmaps. As a pioneer, the United States implements a dual-track plan of “government leadership + commercial pioneering,” establishing private property rights for space resources through multiple acts and collaborating with commercial companies to collect lunar soil via the Artemis Program. Japan has passed specialized legislation to support commercial space resource development, with its Hayabusa series of probes successfully bringing back asteroid samples. The European Union released the EU Space Strategy in 2025, identifying space mining as a key development priority and outlining over 40 specific actions. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has also announced plans to promote space resource development during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, launching the “Tiangong Kaiwu” major special project to focus on breakthroughs in critical technologies such as small celestial body resource exploration and intelligent mining—aligning with the latest engineering trend of integrating space technology with industrialization.
Humanity’s exploration of space has gone through three stages: The 1.0 era was defined by the U.S.-Soviet space race; the 2.0 era centered on space science research, forming a “one superpower, multiple major powers” pattern; and now we enter the 3.0 era of space economy, where commercial spaceflight is booming, and resource competition and rule-making have become focal points. It is predicted that the global space economy will grow at an average annual rate of 9%, increasing from 630 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 to 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2035, boasting enormous development potential.
However, the practical challenges of space mining cannot be overlooked. Technically, it is necessary to overcome difficulties such as ultra-long-distance high-precision exploration, intelligent mining in microgravity environments, low-cost Earth-space transportation, and on-orbit resource processing, while relying on supporting technologies like advanced propulsion, space energy, and deep-space communication. Economically, infrastructure investment amounts to hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars, and Earth-space transportation costs remain high. Although reusable rocket technology has continuously reduced launch costs, large-scale development still requires time. Legally, the Outer Space Treaty stipulates that space resources are for the common benefit of all humanity and prohibits appropriation, yet the domestic legislation of some countries contradicts this, highlighting the urgent need to resolve rule conflicts.
Space is the common wealth of all humanity, and space mining is not only about commercial interests but also involves technological competition and global governance. Currently, this field is still in the conceptual and preliminary exploration stage. Only through international cooperation, technological coordination, and joint rule-making can we address development challenges and truly make space resources serve the common development of humanity. From science fiction to reality, the journey of space mining is full of challenges, but the allure of the stars and seas, coupled with humanity’s courage to explore the unknown, is driving this interstellar resource revolution forward.
