Why Mars needs a space supply chainA permanent settlement on Mars would require far more than food, water and oxygen. The new study explores whether mining metallic asteroids could solve that problem by delivering construction materials directly to Mars. How asteroid mining could support MarsThe team focused on M-type asteroids, which are rich in iron, nickel and other valuable metals. The study does not suggest asteroid mining is about to begin. Their proposed supply chains show it may eventually be possible to transport metals from asteroids to Mars while producing return fuel from asteroid resources.