Global economic benefits from space mineral and energy resources

This paper examines the commercial use of space mineral and energy resources within the context of their potential to provide monetary and non-monetary benefits to the global community. Cost and revenue factors are reviewed from an economic perspective. The development of criteria reflecting primary decision variables is presented to examine the potential for global interest and expected participation in space resource utilization. Nations are classified by their current level of space activity, and the importance of specific decision criteria are predicted for each class of nation.