Space mining could be reality as scientists study asteroid composition

Fahad Redha

January 22, 2026
3 min read

Space mining could be reality as scientists study asteroid composition

Researchers are studying the composition of asteroids as they are seen as a source for future space mining. The rocky bodies are thought to contain valuable metals, material left over from the formation of the solar system. Chemical clues within them could reveal the history of their original parent bodies.

A team led by the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) examined samples linked to C-type asteroids, those rich in carbon. The findings were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. They can help scientists identify where the meteorites came from and support plans for future space mining.

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“The scientific interest in each of these meteorites is that they sample small, undifferentiated asteroids, and provide valuable information on the chemical composition and evolutionary history of the bodies from which they originate,” says the study’s lead author and an astrophysicist at ICE-CSIC, affiliated to the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez.

In conducting the study, the team at ICE-CSIC selected and carefully characterised asteroid-related samples, before sending them for detailed chemical analysis. Measurements were performed by mass spectrometry at the University of Castilla-La Mancha by Professor Jacinto Alonso-Azcárate, allowing researchers to learn about the chemical makeup of carbonaceous chondrites, thought to originate from C-type asteroids. This can help them assess whether future space mining could one day be a practical endeavour.

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