Profits set to soar in outer space

We are also well into the commercial space age. In 1998, private-sector spending on space applications began to exceed government spending, and the gap is widening. A critical mass of entrepreneurs — some with familiar names like Bezos and Branson — have been backing space-related companies for years. In the coming months, their efforts will reach blastoff stage (quite literally). Some of the markets they’re targeting, like the $4 billion satellite launch business being pursued by PayPal founder Elon Musk, are ripe for competition. But most, such as suborbital tourism, space hotels, and solar satellites, don’t yet exist. All, however, have the potential to generate astronomical returns during the next decade.

The long-term possibilities are even more celestial. Ever heard of 3554 Amun? It’s a space rock about 2 kilometers in diameter that looks as if it might have fallen straight out of The Little Prince. There are three key things to know about 3554 Amun: First, its orbit crosses that of Earth; second, it’s the smallest M-class (metal-bearing) asteroid yet discovered; and finally, it contains (at today’s prices) roughly $8 trillion worth of iron and nickel, $6 trillion of cobalt, and $6 trillion of platinumlike metals. In other words, whoever owns Amun could become 450 times as wealthy as Bill Gates. And if you time your journey right — 2020 looks promising — it’s easier to reach than the Moon.

CNN