[INFOGRAPHIC] Asteroid mining: the making of a trillion-dollar industry

While futuristic in nature, asteroid mining is becoming a real possibility and its financial payoff isn’t too shabby either.

According to space mining start-up Planetary Resource, the business of tapping into asteroids from outer space and extracting their precious minerals is estimated to be in the trillion-dollar range. The money maker is the abundance of Platinum Group Metals (PGM), which are exceptionally rare on Earth and extremely valuable as 1,000 cubic centimeters of platinum is worth around $1 million. 

The following infographic reveals how the impossible is actually possible.

The second infographic breaks downs step by step how the process would unfold. It’s pretty straightforward.

The third infographic showcases the true value of the minerals.