Lucky for us, the cosmos is packed with the raw materials we need and crave. Scattered across our galaxy are trillions upon trillions of space rocks, filled with the water, precious metals and other raw materials we’ll need to fuel our cosmic diaspora.

Mining asteroids is not just a dream — several enterprising companies are already getting the jump on it. Still, the technological barriers are immense, and we’re just beginning to come to grips with the social and political implications of a space-based civilisation. Here’s what we already know — and need to know — about the industry that could make it happen.

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