Knight Frank, a reputable residential and commercial property consultancy, has stated on their recent Wealth Report that a lot of ultra-rich private investors are interested in asteroid mining. These near-earth bodies will be explored to acquire metals and valuable elements.

According to researches, asteroids could possibly store several metals and elements such as iron, nickel, cobalt and platinum. These may be acquired through efficient asteroid mining procedures that could occur in the next decade or so.

 “These investors tend to be relatively happy to take an element of risk and they are more able to be flexible with investments compared to corporate investors,” said Liam Bailey, research director for Knight Frank.

Companies such as  Planetary Resources, Deep Space Industries and Kepler Energy and Space Engineering stated that they have several methods to execute so as to make asteroid mining possible.  

However, several legal issues arise. Laws of different countries are still limited, it does not cover anything that is beyond the earth. Issues about tax and ownership are being discussed. How many percent does an investor and an owner need to pay for their earnings on asteroid mining? Which country must handle the minerals found of asteroids? These are but some of the questions that should be attended.