Startup announces asteroid mining venture
Posted: Wed, Apr 25, 2012, 7:35 AM ET (1135 GMT)
A startup company unveiled plans on Tuesday to develop a series of missions to prospect for water and other resources on near Earth asteroids and eventually those resources. Seattle-based Planetary Resources, Inc., plans to launch the first of its Arkyd line of spacecraft within two years. The small spacecraft will remain in Earth orbit, equipped with a telescope and sensors to identify asteroids with high amounts of water and other volatiles. Those asteroids will be visited by later missions, with ultimate plans to extract water ice from them to supply propellant depots. The company is also interested in later extracting precious metals from asteroids. The company is backed by a group of celebrity investors, including Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and Ross Perot, Jr.
A startup company unveiled plans on Tuesday to develop a series of missions to prospect for water and other resources on near Earth asteroids and eventually those resources. Seattle-based Planetary Resources, Inc., plans to launch the first of its Arkyd line of spacecraft within two years. The small spacecraft will remain in Earth orbit, equipped with a telescope and sensors to identify asteroids with high amounts of water and other volatiles. Those asteroids will be visited by later missions, with ultimate plans to extract water ice from them to supply propellant depots. The company is also interested in later extracting precious metals from asteroids. The company is backed by a group of celebrity investors, including Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and Ross Perot, Jr.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, February 5
Sidus Space Announces LizzieSat Has Arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for Launch
Business Wire — 6:07 am ET (1107 GMT) Rocket Lab Signs Multi-Launch Contract with iQPS for Four Electron Missions
Rocket Lab — 6:05 am ET (1105 GMT) First Irish astronaut Norah Patten had ‘no road map’ for space dreams – but she paved the path herself
Irish Star — 6:04 am ET (1104 GMT) SpaceX launches Maxar 3 mission, high-resolution commercial satellites
UPI — 6:02 am ET (1102 GMT) UAE joins forces with European space company to develop airlock for Nasa lunar station
The National (UAE) — 5:59 am ET (1059 GMT) |
