The concept behind the magic is that our reality is actually an interference pattern between three deeper realities. We exist in those realities and can cause changes to happen in them and those changes ripple up to objective reality.

Those realities are expresses as colors, Blue (mind), Green (mystery), and Red (will). Theses "light" magics combine into three "dark" magics: Yellow (evocation), Magenta (illusion), and Cyan (Alchemy). Light spells are powered by mana, brought in from the spirit world through various techniques. Dark spells are powered by Quintessence, which can be extracted from living things and minerals. Gifted mages can produce quintessence on demand from mana, but you can't make Mana from quintessence.

Light Magics are basically "free energy". They tend to be powered by goof things like the spirit of friendship. Or by the odd fact that the more you give away, the more you get back in return. It's magic, don't ask too many questions. So the people who are closer to the "cheap and cheerful" range of the magical world tend to be Light magic users.

Dark Magic, and it's ability to be fueled by quintessence tends to be the industrialized, crass, and commercial magic. Quintessence alters the psyche, so users of dark magic tend to suffer from long-term mental illness. Or, at the very least, they start to take on distinct alterations in personality.

Blue quintessence causes paranoia. Magenta quintessence causes narcissism. Red quintessence turns people into sociopaths. Yellow quintessence causes self-neglect. Green quintessence causes introversion. Cyan quintessence causes addiction.

With proper dosing (essentially ensuring that all of the quintessence you ingest is actually used to power an ability) these effects can be prevented. Lower power abilities can extract quintessence from the body of the person casting the spell. (Though you end up with some strange cravings after.) It's the mage level powers that require quite a bit of "better living through alchemy."

Wealth is a funny subject in space. Every space settlement is far, far too expensive to have been the product of on Nation of Corporation.

Krasnovia (the dominant civilization on the Moon) is basically run like the Soviet Union. Technically there is no such thing as property. And all pigs are created equal. However, if you are a party elite, you are a little more equal than everyone else. Wealth in Krasnovia is measured by having family heirlooms with a story behind them. Or inventing a good story behind them. And whiskey. Whiskey is basically the black market currency.

The Asteroid Belt is largely controlled by the International Space Treaty Organization (ISTO). The ISTO is what if the UN had a NASA. All of the poorer nations who missed the race to the moon all chipped in to develop massive colonies in the asteroid belt. And a Navy to protect them from Krasnovia and the Pirates. Because everything is made on the cheap and cheerful, there are no privately owned vessels in ISTO. Everything is leased from the government. The idea being that if war ever broke out, every ship and every space station will have all of the facilties and plumbing to strap them with armor, missiles, and guns to turn them into a warship/battlestation.

This, of course, has led to a fleet of white elephants that are ridiculously expensive to operate without a generous subsidy from the ISTO government. But slightly less ridiculous than maintaining a standing Navy. Wealth in ISTO is measured by getting your kids accepted to the Naval academy, where they will learn Magic on the government's dime. Also, serving with distinction in wartime is considered at notch in the social belt, or taking part in a scientific endeavor or expedition.

Mars... nobody settled. The gravity makes bilateral trade too expensive. And trying to support a colony of any size requires more resources than setting one up on a lower-gravity planetoid.

The asteroids between the Earth and Mars are inhabited by the Circle-Trigon. A mafia-like organization made up of the Royalists and Capitalists who fled Earth during the Cataclysm, and the Moon after the socialist revolution. On paper it's a lawless libertarian paradise. In reality, it's a pile of little fiefdoms all run by a neurotic dictator. There is a hierarchy of the warlords, with the Pirate king on top.

Of course, with a color-based magic system you do get some cool knock on relationships like: