Space Resource Utilisation (SRU) or In Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) is the use of natural resources from the Moon, Mars and other bodies for use in situ or elsewhere in the Solar System. The ...implementation of SRU technologies will provide the breakthrough for humankind to explore further into space. A range of extraction processes to produce useable resources have been proposed, such as oxygen production from lunar regolith, extraction of lunar ice and construction of habitation by 3D printing. Practical and successful implementation of SRU requires that all the stages of the process flowsheet (excavation, beneficiation and extraction) are considered. This requires a complete ‘mine-to-market’ type approach, analogous to that of terrestrial mineral extraction.
One of the key challenges is the unique cross-disciplinary nature of SRU; it integrates space systems, robotics, materials handling and beneficiation, and chemical process engineering. This is underpinned by knowledge of the lunar or planetary geology, including mineralogy, physical characteristics, and the variability in local materials. Combining such diverse fields in a coordinated way requires the use of a universal framework. The framework will enable integration of operations and comparison of technologies, and will define a global terminology to be used across all fields. In this paper, a universal SRU flowsheet and terminology are described, and a matrix approach to describing regolith characteristics specifically for SRU is proposed. This is the first time that such an approach has been taken to unify this rapidly-developing sector.
•For SRU to progress towards implementation, integration between disciplines is required.•The first step is to define a standard flowsheet and terminology.•Terms such as yield, recovery and conversion are defined for SRU.•A matrix for characterisation of regolith feedstock is developed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
We are experiencing a period of renewed interest in human activities in outer space and, in particular, the return of humans to the Moon. Multiple lunar missions, including the NASA led Artemis ...project and the China and Russia International Lunar Research Station propose a sustained human presence on the Moon which will require in-situ resource extraction and usage. This article explores the likely impact of statements and actions by states on the future evolution of international space law in relation to space resource activities, highlighting the urgent need for greater clarity in the law regarding space resource activities. It will examine the relevant international law, domestic legislation, multilateral agreements, and recent international discussions concerning space resource activities. It concludes that the current international space law regime lacks clear laws regarding space resource activities and emphasises the importance of space law evolving in order to progress with industry and exploration.
•Current international law lacks clear guidance regarding the legal frameworks applicable to space mining.•Competing domestic laws and guidelines may create tension between competing users of the Moon.•An international framework is needed to clarify the rules of resource extraction and use in space.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Neural Architecture Search (NAS) aims to automatically find effective architectures within a predefined search space. However, the search space is often extremely large. As a result, directly ...searching in such a large search space is non-trivial and also very time-consuming. To address the above issues, in each search step, we seek to limit the search space to a small but effective subspace to boost both the search performance and search efficiency. To this end, we propose a novel Neural Architecture Search method via Dominative Subspace Mining (DSM-NAS) that finds promising architectures in automatically mined subspaces. Specifically, we first perform a global search, i.e ., dominative subspace mining, to find a good subspace from a set of candidates. Then, we perform a local search within the mined subspace to find effective architectures. More critically, we further boost search performance by taking well-designed/ searched architectures to initialize candidate subspaces. Experimental results demonstrate that DSM-NAS not only reduces the search cost but also discovers better architectures than state-of-the-art methods in various benchmark search spaces.
Economic parameters are identified for an in-space industry where the capital is made on one planet, it is transported to and teleoperated on a second planet, and the product is transported off the ...second planet for consumption. This framework is used to model the long-run cost of lunar propellant production to help answer whether it is commercially competitive against propellant launched from Earth. The prior techno-economic analyses (TEAs) of lunar propellant production had disagreed over this. The “gear ratio on cost” for capital transport, G, and the production mass ratio of the capital, φ, are identified as the most important factors determining competitiveness. The prior TEAs are examined for how they handled these two metrics. This identifies crucial mistakes in some of the TEAs: choosing transportation architectures with high G, and neglecting to make choices for the capital that could achieve adequate φ. The tent sublimation technology has a value of φ that is an order of magnitude better than the threshold for competitiveness even in low Earth orbit (LEO). The strip mining technology is closer to the threshold, but technological improvements plus several years of operating experience will improve its competitiveness, according to the model. Objections from members of the aerospace community are discussed, especially the question whether the technology can attain adequate reliability in the lunar environment. The results suggest that lunar propellant production will be commercially viable and that it should lower the cost of doing everything else in space.
•Econometrics are developed for multi-planet industry.•Modeling is developed for the long run average cost of lunar propellant.•Lunar-derived propellant can out-compete Earth-launched propellant.•To be competitive, lunar capital must produce ≳35 times its mass in product.•Long-term reliability of the lunar capital is the primary remaining concern.
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In light of recent technological advancements in the launch industry and the accelerating development of a private space economy, the regulation of space mining is becoming an increasingly pressing ...matter. A regulatory regime for space mining must not only provide legal clarity on how to acquire mining rights for certain celestial bodies but must also do this in a way that does not hinder investment in companies in this sector. To encourage a progressive development and prevent the formation of market monopolies, the regime's mechanism for acquiring mining rights must be designed to promote continued investment in new space mining companies, even after first movers have proven the concept. With a strong emphasis on the proliferation of space mining and the establishment of a spacefaring civilisation, this article proposes a regulatory regime and mechanism to acquire rights for the mining of celestial bodies while preserving the information and knowledge contained within these bodies as heritage for future generations of mankind and for science to capitalise on an emerging economy's momentum.
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This study analyses the current scenario with COVID-19 affecting the international and Thai space law, and its impacts and corresponding repercussions upon the Thai economy, ASEAN region and then at ...international level. The methodology adopted for this study is a mixed method with qualitative research tools collected from key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The data analysis involves the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis, which has been integrated with Hierarchical Thematic areas to provide the supporting model for wholesome recommendations through analyzing the findings from the research. The key respondents involved several government officials associated with Thai space agencies and departments, along with judges, lawyers, researchers, academicians, non-government organizations (NGO) officials, and law students. The findings provided the need for adoption of Treaty leading to the creation of a space organization which would be accountable towards setting up a legal framework for commencement of space mining operations. The international space tribunal is to be created under this international space organization to resolve any disputes arising out of space mining. The overall implications of this research would lead to the sharing of the benefits of space mining with both developed and developing countries to enhance sustainable development for all mankind. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SPER-09 Full Text: PDF
A unique, wide-ranging examination of asteroid exploration
and our future in space Human travel into space is an
enormously expensive and unforgiving endeavor. So why go? In this
accessible and ...authoritative book, astrophysicist Martin Elvis
argues that the answer is asteroid exploration, for the strong
motives of love, fear, and greed. Elvis's personal motivation is
one of scientific love-asteroid investigations may teach us about
the composition of the solar system and the origins of life. A more
compelling reason may be fear-of a dinosaur killer-sized asteroid
hitting our planet. Finally, Elvis maintains, we should consider
greed: asteroids likely hold vast riches, such as large platinum
deposits, and mining them could provide both a new industry and a
funding source for bolder space exploration. Elvis explains how
each motive can be satisfied, and how they help one another. From
the origins of life, to "space billiards," and space sports, Elvis
looks at how asteroids may be used in the not-so-distant future.
Space technology development shows feasibility of actualizing future space mining. There are numerous efforts to utilize resources from celestial bodies; whether as fuel, an alternative source for ...scarce minerals, or as an in-situ support for future human habitation in outer space. This article identifies potential clashes between ongoing space mining practices and the interests of developing nations. The main concern is accessibility: will the race to dominate space mining leave no room for non-space faring nations to utilize space resources, or even access potential space mining locations? The current international space law has several loopholes such as the absence of provisions regarding ownership of space resources, and the lack of inclusion of private actors, especially considering their role in furthering the space mining industry. This article also examines Indonesia’s regulation on space activities, including mining and provide recommendations. Current regulations imply there is a vision for Indonesia to be a large space actor in the future, but no instrument puts specific focus as of yet to space mining. Lack of dedicated funding and technology also exist, but there are various opportunities to attain this, provided Indonesia is able to utilize them for national interests.
•High extraction efficiency for unusual high molar concentrations of Co/Ni.•Novel process windows: dimensionless numbers determined by space minerals processing.•Real meteorite material leached and ...microfluidically extracted.•First step towards substantial water savings in space mining.
This research proposes a pathway for the last step of the asteroid mining process: the purification of the adjacent metals, cobalt and nickel, in the frame of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) in space. Major technological and economic challenges will need to be overcome, and one main issue to be tackled is the reduction of water usage in this process. Therefore, the leached metal solutions are expected to contain ultra-high metal concentrations, up to 10 mol/l. These solutions will have challenging thermodynamic properties (increased density, viscosity and interfacial tension). As a result, an analysis of dimensionless numbers for fluidics and mass transport was made, showing that some of these are favourable under the constraints of accessible microfluidic operations. Experiments were performed with advanced microfluidic reactors (a coiled-flow inverter (CFI) and an industrial re-entrance flow reactor from Corning®) at high metal concentrations and high nickel to cobalt ratios (3:0.3 mol/l Ni:Co). Using Cyanex 272 as a selective extractant for cobalt, extraction efficiencies of 60% with high separation factors (>1000) were reached in just one extraction stage. The CFI showed high extraction efficiency for low fluid velocities and a residence time of 60 s. For the Corning® reactor, high fluid velocities or the use of many modules (>3) are needed to obtain an emulsion, resulting in high extraction efficiencies at a very short residence time of 13 s. The comparison between the CFI and the Corning® reactor shows that they share the best operation point (at 120 ml/h), but the Corning® reactor performs better at higher flow rates and thus can leverage higher productivity. However, the CFI is easier to operate and has a much lower pressure drop, resulting in low energy input. Finally, an iron meteorite sample was leached and efficiently extracted in both microfluidic reactors.
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