Oviedo conference launches Asturias space‑mining initiative

From 2 to 7 August 2026, Oviedo hosted the international congress “The Many Pathways to Space”. Organized by the Asturias Government’s Council of Science, Industry and Employment, the event gathered experts from ten countries to explore how the region’s former coal mines can be repurposed for the emerging space economy. Participants highlighted specific sites – the Santiago shaft in Aller, the Carrio underground facility in Laviana and the Sotón tunnel in San Martín del Rey Aurelio – as potential lunar‑habitat labs, underground agriculture testbeds and training centres for astronautics. Councilor Borja Sánchez said Asturias already has the scientific knowledge, business network and technological centres needed to attract space‑research projects, especially those linked to NASA’s Artemis programme.

NASA asteroid specialist Humberto Campins used the conference platform to stress the long‑term threat of asteroid impacts. He warned that while the chance of a collision during an individual’s lifetime is low, humanity must develop planetary‑defence capabilities such as kinetic‑impact missions like DART and maintain a global network of telescopes to monitor near‑Earth objects.