China plans to build a base on the meteorite to exploit metal

China is planning to build bases on a meteorite to exploit precious metals worth up to billions of dollars.

Ye Peijian, an expert in space exploration at the China Space Technology Institute, revealed plans to land an unmanned spacecraft on a meteorite , allowing the country's mining companies to compete with competitors. In the US, Sun reported on November 9.

China plans to exploit rare resources on meteorites.(Artwork: Space).

According to Peijian, about 900 meteorites fly through the Earth each year. Many of these meteorites contain huge amounts of metals such as platinum, iridium or rhodium.

"In the near future, we will study how to bring robots or astronauts to mining in suitable meteors and transport resources to Earth. In the long term, we will consider using the source. meteorite resources to build facilities in material supply space or support interstellar travel, " China Daily quoted Peijian.

Meteors can also be used for missions in deep space and serve as the basis for interstellar space exploration. The Chinese scientist also proposed to let unmanned probes fly into deep space on meteorites, thereby significantly reducing the amount of fuel needed.

Global investment bank Goldman Sachs said meteorite mining to collect rare and precious metals is feasible. According to the bank, a meteorite of the size of a football field can be worth $ 52 billion.