Asteroid Mining Will Crash the Platinum Market, But That’s Good News for Earth - Universe Today

AI desk brief

A model by MIT researchers Robert Nachtrieb and Steven Smith projects PGM prices falling more than 75% and terrestrial supply being replaced over 15 years, conditional on successful asteroid mining. Their simulation covers 20 years after the first successful material return and initially projects industry profits reaching eight times current levels before expanding supply depresses prices and displaces mines. AstroForge is targeting PGM returns, but the article reports development failures and unresolved engineering challenges. These are long-term model scenarios, not established supply additions or evidence of near-term pressure on platinum and palladium.