The name says it all: Their orbits bring them nearer to Earth than other celestial objects. And that's good for asteroid prospectors and miners, because asteroids hold valuable minerals and elements, like nickel, iron, cobalt, water, and nitrogen.
"The idea is to use the resources in space to build a space infrastructure," says Dr. Amara Graps, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Riga who also heads a non-profit organization called Baltics in Space. Asteroids and the moon could provide the "volatiles" you need for fuel to propel spacecraft. They could also provide building materials. But not all asteroids are made equal - some are more valuable than others. "Asteroid miners are more interested in the carbonaceous chondrites, the darker ones, which are less abundant," says Graps.
Carbonaceous asteroids are generally highly sought-after. They include Ryugu, Bennu, Nuwa, Hygiea, Davida and the largest object in the asteroid belt, Ceres. With estimated values ranging into the trillions, there's a lot to be mined and a lot of money to be made.
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