[yissp]

Is iron abundant enough for this to scale? Maybe this could kickstart the asteroid mining industry.

[ummonk]

The earth is made out of iron. There is no point in mining it in space, and regardless anything mines in space would be far too expensive for a use like this, which is why the main prospects for asteroid mining are precious metals.

[incompatible]

Yes, iron ore is mined in massive quantities in Western Australia at a cost in the order of $100 per ton.

[sbennettmcleish]

Yes, we're not gonna run out. WA ships nearly a billion tons/yr.

[Meandering]

You would use a fixed amount of iron and recycle it. It's not like you need "fresh" iron for every use.

[montecarl]

Iron is the 4th most abundant element in Earth's crust. There are almost 3000 times more iron atoms than lithium atoms.