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Mineral Processing … in Space
Leslie Gertsch
NASA Glenn Research Center /Missouri University of Science and Technology
Jen Pierce
NASA Glenn Research Center
ABSTRACT: NASA is tasked with exploring the solar system and expanding the U.S. economy into space
(among other things). Neither is sustainable over the long term without making use of the natural resources
available out there, but the operating environments will be very different from anything encountered in all
mineral processing history. This update outlines what’s planned, what’s being studied, and the crucial part that
the mineral industry will play.
INTRODUCTION
The mineral resources of the solar system are orders of magnitude larger than those that have supported human civilization
for its entire existence, which has been limited (so far) to the top surface of the Earth’s crust. The value of these additional
resources will come from the demand generated by extending human activity into space permanently, and by supplying
minerals to Earth indefinitely. Both are crucial for the long-term growth of the human economy, and will occur mostly in
this order.
Supplying either of these demands requires developing effective ways to extract the natural resources of space (Shaw et
al. 2022 Badescu et al. 2023). The terrestrial mineral industries are built on millennia of hard-won experience on Earth,
and even though much is different in space, the fundamental requirements remain the same: Find deposits where extract-
able materials have been concentrated by natural processes, gain control of those materials, extract the desired components,
and transform them into forms suitable for downstream use. This paper concentrates on the beneficiation and processing
of space-based resources as currently being planned and researched.
The major space-faring nations—the United States, Russia, and China—recognize that mineral extraction is a key part
of any plan for permanent, indefinite presence off the Earth. NASA has termed this “in situ resource utilization” or ISRU
the European Space Agency (ESA) calls it “space resource utilization” or SRU. Countries where mineral industries are
a major component of the economy, such as Canada and
Australia, are applying that expertise in partnership with
the space-faring nations. The current version of NASA’s
plan to return to the Moon and go on to Mars (NASA
2024a) states:
In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is the concept of
locating, mapping, and estimating extraterrestrial
resource reserves and extracting and processing
these local resources to generate products instead
of delivering the products from Earth. As humans
stay longer and go farther into space and the focus
turns to more sustainable commercial operations
and Earth independence, missions will incorpo-
rate ISRU practices. ISRU starts with identify-
ing, characterizing, and mapping the resources
at potential sites of exploration. ISRU identifies
Mineral Processing … in Space
Leslie Gertsch
NASA Glenn Research Center /Missouri University of Science and Technology
Jen Pierce
NASA Glenn Research Center
ABSTRACT: NASA is tasked with exploring the solar system and expanding the U.S. economy into space
(among other things). Neither is sustainable over the long term without making use of the natural resources
available out there, but the operating environments will be very different from anything encountered in all
mineral processing history. This update outlines what’s planned, what’s being studied, and the crucial part that
the mineral industry will play.
INTRODUCTION
The mineral resources of the solar system are orders of magnitude larger than those that have supported human civilization
for its entire existence, which has been limited (so far) to the top surface of the Earth’s crust. The value of these additional
resources will come from the demand generated by extending human activity into space permanently, and by supplying
minerals to Earth indefinitely. Both are crucial for the long-term growth of the human economy, and will occur mostly in
this order.
Supplying either of these demands requires developing effective ways to extract the natural resources of space (Shaw et
al. 2022 Badescu et al. 2023). The terrestrial mineral industries are built on millennia of hard-won experience on Earth,
and even though much is different in space, the fundamental requirements remain the same: Find deposits where extract-
able materials have been concentrated by natural processes, gain control of those materials, extract the desired components,
and transform them into forms suitable for downstream use. This paper concentrates on the beneficiation and processing
of space-based resources as currently being planned and researched.
The major space-faring nations—the United States, Russia, and China—recognize that mineral extraction is a key part
of any plan for permanent, indefinite presence off the Earth. NASA has termed this “in situ resource utilization” or ISRU
the European Space Agency (ESA) calls it “space resource utilization” or SRU. Countries where mineral industries are
a major component of the economy, such as Canada and
Australia, are applying that expertise in partnership with
the space-faring nations. The current version of NASA’s
plan to return to the Moon and go on to Mars (NASA
2024a) states:
In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is the concept of
locating, mapping, and estimating extraterrestrial
resource reserves and extracting and processing
these local resources to generate products instead
of delivering the products from Earth. As humans
stay longer and go farther into space and the focus
turns to more sustainable commercial operations
and Earth independence, missions will incorpo-
rate ISRU practices. ISRU starts with identify-
ing, characterizing, and mapping the resources
at potential sites of exploration. ISRU identifies