From the Tianwen Mars exploration and Chang’e lunar missions to the current Tiangong Kaiwu program, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is gradually expanding the boundaries of human activities in space with a systematic strategic layout.
On January 29, 2026, CASC officially announced that it will plan and promote the development of new fields such as space tourism, space digital and intelligent infrastructure, space resource development, and space traffic management during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. In particular, it intends to launch the demonstration of the major special project Tiangong Kaiwu, build an integrated experiment and ground support system for space resource development, and focus on breaking through key technologies including small celestial body resource exploration, intelligent autonomous mining, low-cost transfer and transportation, and on-orbit processing.
This announcement has pushed space mining, once a science fiction concept, into the realm of practical planning. According to the plan, space resource development will advance in tandem with other emerging space fields such as space tourism, space digital and intelligent infrastructure, and space traffic management.
Space mining refers to the act of exploring and extracting mineral resources on extraterrestrial celestial bodies through aerospace technologies. Long a staple of science fiction works, this concept is gradually moving from fantasy to reality with technological progress and growing pressure on Earth’s resources.
Unlike terrestrial mining, space mining faces extreme environmental challenges: conditions such as microgravity, extreme temperature differences, high radiation, and the absence of atmospheric protection render traditional mining technologies inapplicable directly.
Transforming Space Mining from Concept to Practical Planning
Notably, although China’s research on space mining started relatively late, its development speed is remarkable. In 2025, China’s first independently developed multi-functional space mining robot passed the preliminary review. Developed by the research team led by Professor Liu Xinhua from China University of Mining and Technology, the Interstellar Miner multi-functional space mining robot adopts a hexapod hybrid motion structure combined with an insect-bionic claw and spine design, which effectively enhances adhesion in a microgravity environment. This marks a substantive breakthrough for China in this field.
Pioneering Core Achievements in Extraterrestrial Mining
Currently, space mining holds enormous potential economic value. It is estimated that the value of metal resources such as iron, nickel, and cobalt abundant in near-Earth asteroids may exceed tens of trillions of US dollars, while helium-3 on the Moon is an ideal fuel for clean energy in the future.
Reshaping the Resource Foundation for Sustainable Development
From a broader perspective, the acquisition of space resources may reshape the resource foundation of the global economy, alleviate the pressure of Earth’s resource depletion, and open up new pathways for the sustainable development of humanity. In addition, the development of space resources will spawn an entirely new industrial chain and employment opportunities. Every link, from the manufacturing of exploration robots and on-orbit processing technologies to space transportation services and resource allocation management, is likely to become a new economic growth point.
Conclusion
With the advancement of CASC’s Tiangong Kaiwu program, space mining is moving from ground experiments to space practice. In accordance with the plan, China will establish an integrated experiment system for space resource development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, including ground simulation facilities and a potential on-orbit experiment platform. These facilities will serve as an important base for the verification of future space mining technologies.
