Week in Space Data, every Friday.
Comprehensive database of asteroids, moons, and planetary bodies with resource valuations, accessibility metrics, and mining feasibility analysis
| # | Asteroid | Spectral | Est. Profit | Price/kg | Diameter | Accessibility | MOID (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Psyche | MXk | $10000.0T | $12.5K/kg | 226.0 km | 1.58 | 1.5412 |
| 2 | 3554 Amun | M | $20.0T | $8.2K/kg | 2.5 km | 1.82 | 0.0904 |
| 3 | 241 Germania | CCb | $95.0T | $1.9K/kg | 169.0 km | 0.98 | 1.7834 |
| 4 | 162173 Ryugu | CCg | $83.0B | $6.3K/kg | 0.896 km | 1.95 | 0.0601 |
| 5 | 101955 Bennu | BB | $669.0M | $4.8K/kg | 0.490 km | 2.01 | 0.0032 |
| 6 | 4660 Nereus | EXe | $4.8B | $7.4K/kg | 0.330 km | 2.38 | 0.0029 |
| 7 | 511 Davida | CC | $26.7T | $1.2K/kg | 326.0 km | 0.85 | 1.7611 |
| 8 | 2016 ED85 | -- | $1.2B | $5.6K/kg | 0.015 km | 2.22 | 0.0156 |
| 9 | 1 Ceres | GC | $72.0T | $980.00/kg | 939.4 km | 0.75 | 1.5926 |
| 10 | 433 Eros | SS | $1.2T | $3.1K/kg | 16.8 km | 1.67 | 0.1491 |
| 11 | 2011 UW158 | -- | $5.4T | $15.2K/kg | 0.457 km | 1.74 | 0.0174 |
| 12 | 1986 DA | M | $27.0T | $9.7K/kg | 2.3 km | 1.12 | 0.3512 |
| 13 | Moon (Lunar Regolith) | -- | $500.0B | $2.5K/kg | 3474.8 km | 2.50 | 0.0026 |
Largest M-type asteroid in the main belt. Estimated ~$10,000 quadrillion in iron, nickel, and gold. NASA Psyche mission launched Oct 2023, arriving Aug 2029.
Near-Earth metallic asteroid. One of the most accessible M-type NEAs for mining operations.
Large carbonaceous main-belt asteroid. Potential source of water and carbon compounds.
C-type NEA visited by JAXA Hayabusa2. Sample returned Dec 2020 confirmed water-rich minerals, amino acids, and organic compounds. Diamond-shaped rubble pile.
B-type NEA visited by NASA OSIRIS-REx. 121g sample returned Sep 2023 revealed water-bearing clays, carbon, and sulfur. Highly accessible for future missions.
One of the easiest NEAs to reach with only ~4.9 km/s round-trip delta-V. Small but highly accessible target for early mining demonstrations.
One of the largest C-type asteroids (326 km diameter). Massive potential water source. Low-albedo surface suggests volatile-rich composition.
Small near-Earth asteroid with very favorable delta-V for rendezvous. Low inclination and near-circular orbit make it an ideal early mining target.
Largest object in the asteroid belt, dwarf planet. NASA Dawn mission confirmed subsurface water ice. Could serve as deep-space resource depot.
One of the best-studied NEAs. NASA NEAR Shoemaker orbited and landed in 2001. Rich in silicates with significant iron content.
Platinum-rich NEA estimated to contain $5.4 trillion in precious metals. Radar observations suggest dense metallic composition.
Metallic NEA estimated at $1.4 trillion in precious metals. Radar data confirms iron-nickel composition with platinum group metals.
Earth's Moon is the nearest and most accessible body for resource extraction. Permanently shadowed craters at the poles contain water ice. Helium-3 in regolith is a potential fusion fuel.
Developing asteroid and lunar mining technologies
From optical mining to beneficiation in microgravity
Water, PGMs, rare earths, He-3, iron, silicon, carbon