Breaking the Mineral Bottleneck
The space industry’s dependence on mined materials is becoming a geopolitical liability. Synthetic biology could provide a new route to orbital resilience. The modern space race is no longer fought solely on launchpads or in research laboratories; its outcome is increasingly dictated by the terrestrial geography of critical minerals. As mega-constellations expand, commercial space stations take shape, and the NASA Artemis program targets cislunar infrastructure, a quiet crisis is unfolding...
