Kwame Newton

Senior Analyst

Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Kwamesnewton@gmail.com

(863) 307-0313

Extracting the Potential of Space Resources

Why Mine Space Rocks?

“In the space environment, especially in our earliest steps beyond our only home, resources mean much more than a store of monetary value. For humans living beyond earth, space resources will mean the air they breathe and the water they drink, it will be the building blocks of habitats and the foundations of launch pads and the scaffolding of orbital infrastructure. Our ability as a species to harness the potential of space resource extraction represents nothing less than our ability to carve out a place for ourselves among the stars.

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If we are to build that place and wish to keep it, we cannot allow our crucial first steps to be compromised by conflict and unnecessary risk — whether that be driven by commercial, militaristic, or nationalistic impulses.”

Space Resource Extraction Use Cases

Lunar regolith can provide oxygen, hydrogen, helium, and nitrogen when processed – vital for human life support

Concentrated at the moon’s poles, lunar water-ice can support human/plant survival and provide radiation shielding

Water

Lunar carbons have potential for in-situ manufacturing, while others like methane can be used to create fuel

Essential for habitat construction, in-space manufacturing, and as a replacement to terrestrial Rare Earth Elements

Atmospheric Gases

Volatiles

Metals

New Space Economics Provide New Exploration Opportunities

As Cost to Launch falls, so Does the Threshold for Demonstrating New Mission Architectures

Access to Resources is Key for Moon-to-Mars Ambitions

Operations Goal - 11:

“Demonstrate the capability to use commodities produced from planetary surface or in-space resources to reduce the mass required to be transported from Earth.”

Lunar Infrastructure Goal - 8

“Demonstrate technologies supporting cislunar orbital/surface depots, construction and manufacturing maximizing the use of in-situ resources, and support systems needed for continuous human/robotic presence.”

Applied Science Goal - 3:

“Characterize accessible lunar and Martian resources, gather scientific research data, and analyze potential reserves to satisfy science and technology objectives and enable In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) on successive missions.”

Operations Goal - 12:

“Establish procedures and systems that will minimize the disturbance to the local environment, maximize the resources available to future explorers, and allow for reuse/recycling of material transported from Earth (and from the lunar surface in the case of Mars) to be used during exploration.”

Characterize

Utilize

Sustain

Optimize

Governments & Private Players are Racing to Establish an Early Lead in the Nascent Space Resources Industry…

… but the “Great Galactic Ghoul” Haunts the Market

Notes: (1) Tianwen 1’s team confirmed The Zhurong Mars Rover has been stuck in hibernation mode since May 2022

Notable Space Resources Missions

Destination Type

Leadership in Celestial Competition Will Depend on the Responsible Management and Control of Space Resources

NASA made the 1st purchase of lunar regolith from commercial providers (ispace, Lunar Outpost, & Masten Space) in 2020

JAXA’s Hayabusa mission returned the first asteroid sample to Earth in 2010, with a repeat success on Hayabusa 2 in 2019

Space Resources Act

The Rashid Rover shared a ride with the ill-fated Hakuto-R mission, the first to attempt a commercial lunar sample return

Luxembourg is spearheading continental space resources activity, via ESRIC¹ and ESA’s Space Resources Strategy

US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act

Federal Law on Regulation of the Space Sector

Law on the Exploration and Use of Space Resources

Notes: (1) ESRIC = The European Space Resources Innovation Centre

From Exploration to Sustainability

1. ISRU¹ can provide critical support for sustainable space operations
2. Space resource extraction should comply with the Outer Space Treaty by supporting safe and sustainable activities.
3. Space resource extraction doesn't mean national appropriation under the Outer Space Treaty, & related contracts should reflect this.
4. The Signatories will inform the UN Secretary-General, the public, and the scientific community about their space resource extraction activities.
5. The Signatories aim to use their experience to help develop international practices and rules for space resource extraction, including efforts at COPUOS.

Notes: (1) ISRU = In-Situ resource Utilization

Q&A

Thank you!

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Contact:

Kwame Newton

863-307-0313

Kwamesnewton@gmail.com