Work

Legal Frameworks for Asteroid Mining: Techno-Economic Impacts and Regulatory Needs

Year: 2026

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: The current space law does not clarify the asteroid mining problem enough.This paper presents a techno-economic analysis to show how legal certainty impacts the profitability and overall investment in asteroid mining projects.Our analysis reveals that clear legal frameworks reduce perceived investment risk significantly.We have introduced a financial model that demonstrates how different legal scenarios, specifically those offering clear frameworks and benefit-sharing mechanisms, lead to positive Net Present Values.We thereby encourage fair resource distribution and opportunities within a regulated system, as an environment with high legal uncertainty results in negative Net Present Values, and show significant financial risk.

DOI: 10.3390/engproc2025121027

Authors: Hamideh Azimzadeh, Mahsa Azadmanesh, Radina Nikolova, Roya Asiaei

Institutions: Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Technical University of Sofia, Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch

Language: English

Topic: Space exploration and regulation

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

OpenAlex ID: W7124879582

FWCI:

Cites: 14

Cited by:

Related to: