Why would that interest a potential East India Company-like organization? The best I could come up with would if be it leads to a fuel production source, like

Why would that interest a potential East India Company-like organization? The best I could come up with would if be it leads to a fuel production source, like the satellite at the end of Heinlein's "Blowups Happen". But we know of no such thing, nor do the economics seem to work out.