Neil deGrasse Tyson Predicts: Space Mining Will Create the World’s First Trillionaire

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has long argued that the world’s first trillionaire will come from asteroid mining.

With advances in space technology and resource extraction, this prediction is finally gaining momentum.

Rich in Metals

Asteroids are loaded with metals like platinum, nickel, and iron, often in concentrations that vastly surpass those found on Earth.

For example, some asteroids contain platinum at up to 15 parts per million, compared to Earth’s modest 0.0005 parts per million.

Some asteroids are even so rich in precious metals that, in theory, they could make every person on the planet a billionaire.

These metals are essential for technologies related to renewable energy and fuel cells, making them extremely valuable—and easily capable of making whoever cracks the code to asteroid mining the world’s first trillionaire.

“Unlimited Resources Could Make Wars Obsolete”

In a 2015 interview with CNBC’s On The Money, Tyson said:

“The first trillionaire there will ever be is the person who exploits the natural resources on asteroids.”

“There’s this vast universe of unlimited energy and unlimited resources. I look at wars being fought over access to resources. That could be a thing of the past once space becomes our backyard.”

So far, however, no one has reached trillionaire status. The world’s collective billionaires hold a formidable fortune, but it still falls short of the magical $1 trillion mark.

Many speculate that Elon Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire as early as 2027—with Jeff Bezos not far behind.

First Steps Toward Space Mining Already Taken

According to Business Insider, a single asteroid could contain around $50 billion worth of platinum, illustrating just how lucrative asteroid mining could become.

Recent developments suggest space mining is moving closer to reality.

In February 2025, California-based company AstroForge launched its Odin spacecraft aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, targeting asteroid 2022 OB5 to test mining technologies.

Although the mission faced communication issues, it marked a crucial step toward commercial asteroid mining.

But how far are we from actually bringing resources back from space?

Billionaire Victor Vescovo, one of AstroForge’s investors, told the BBC:

“Bring back a few micrograms to prove it can be done, and then it’s relatively straightforward to scale up the process. To fully realize asteroid mining may take several decades. But it’s just a math problem.”

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