TL;DR
The most expensive thing about going deep into space is hauling fuel up from the ground, and one company has staked a legal claim on a way around it: wrap an asteroid in a bag, crack it open with focused sunlight, and catch the water that boils out as rocket fuel. TransAstra says the U.S. Patent Office has granted its founder a patent on that whole system, from bagging the rock to delivering the fuel to refueling stations between Earth and the Moon (company claim). Nothing has flown, and no mission date is set. But if the idea ever works, spacecraft could fill up in space instead of carrying every drop from Earth, which is the kind of change that would make staying out there for good far cheaper.
Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our Odds board on 6 milestones, starting with "Water from an asteroid is sold as rocket fuel in space"; our labeled speculation on what it adds up to; and every source.