>>11747135I have not done the numbers, but it is quite possible that hauling high-value elements from the moon to earth is economically profitable.
Price of launch is around 4,000$/kg with a Falcon 9.
Market price of gold is 55,000$/kg.
I don't know the cost of mining gold on Earth, but I looked up and mining companies report margins of around 30%.
Assuming transportation costs are not included, and that intermediaries margins are small, if these companies absurdly used a Falcon 9 to haul their gold to buyers, they would still make around 13,000$/kg
Furthermore, launching things from Moon to Earth should be much cheaper (energy requirements for a such cargo ship should be significantly lower), provided that you build the vehicles there.
Of course I am assuming that the conditions are adequate (good mineral deposits) and that maintenance/operation costs of the machinery can be kept down. Initial setup will likely be ridiculously expensive but if it is profitable it can be recovered.
