Tag: asteroid mining
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AstroForge Completes DeepSpace-2 Spacecraft Ahead of Asteroid Rendezvous Mission
Asteroid mining startup AstroForge has completed assembly of the major flight hardware for its DeepSpace-2 spacecraft, positioning the mission for launch later this year as the company pursues its goal of demonstrating asteroid rendezvous capabilities in deep space. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket alongside Intuitive Machines’ IM-3 lunar…
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Against all odds, an asteroid mining company appears to be making headway
When I first spoke with space entrepreneurs Jose Acain and Matt Gialich a little more than two years ago, I wondered whether I would ever talk to them again. That is not meant to be offensive; rather, it is a reflection of the fact that the business they entered into—mining asteroids for platinum and other…
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One year after Planetary Resources faded into history, space mining retains its appeal
An artist’s conception shows Planetary Resources’ Arkyd 300 spacecraft prospecting amid a cluster of asteroids. (Planetary Resources Illustration) It’s been a year since the Redmond, Wash.-based asteroid mining venture known as Planetary Resources was acquired by ConsenSys and pivoted to blockchain projects in space — but the idea of mining space resources still resonates among…
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Bradford Space Group buys Deep Space Industries, shifting focus from asteroid mining to propulsion
An artist’s conception shows a nanosatellite equipped with Deep Space Industries’ non-toxic, water-based Comet thruster system. (DSI / BSI Illustration) Bradford Space Group says it’s acquired California-based Deep Space Industries, which means that both of the ventures that were created to mine asteroids have now been bought up to focus on different priorities. The other…
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Why in the universe is a blockchain company buying the assets of a formerly high-flying asteroid miner?
Planetary Resources President and CEO Chris Lewicki talks about the company’s satellite ambitions at the 2014 GeekWire Summit. (GeekWire Photo) After months of financial uncertainty, the Planetary Resources asteroid-mining venture says its assets have been purchased by the Brooklyn-based ConsenSys blockchain venture. In a news release, Planetary Resources said its CEO and president, Chris Lewicki,…
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Planetary Resources auction put on hold
News Brief: This month’s scheduled sale of hundreds of items from Planetary Resources’ headquarters in Redmond, Wash., has been postponed, according to a website notice by the auctioneer, James G. Murphy & Co. The financially strapped asteroid mining company had planned to sell off laptops, machine tools and other pieces of equipment that were deemed…
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Financially strapped Planetary Resources gets set to auction off equipment at HQ
Planetary Resources is selling off equipment from its headquarters in Redmond, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) In a fresh sign of the financial straits facing Planetary Resources, the asteroid mining company will be auctioning off hundreds of items from its headquarters in Redmond, Wash., ranging from industrial-strength CNC machine tools and 3-D printers to…
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Amid departures, Planetary Resources is holding out hope for an asteroid mining comeback
An artist’s conception shows the Arkyd-301 spacecraft, which was destined to start blazing a trail for asteroid prospecting in 2020. (Planetary Resources Illustration) It’s been months since Planetary Resources had to scale back its asteroid aspirations because a fundraising campaign came up short — and the quest for cash is continuing as space industry leaders converge…
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Planetary Resources asteroid venture misses fundraising target, forcing cutbacks
Artwork shows Planetary Resources’ Arkyd-6 spacecraft in orbit. (Planetary Resources Illustration) Planetary Resources, a Redmond, Wash.-based venture that aims to make a fortune mining asteroids, is facing a more down-to-earth challenge: a fundraising shortfall. Just last month, the company had its Arkyd-6 prototype space telescope launched into orbit by an Indian PSLV rocket, and that spacecraft…
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Asteroid miners might need a few good applied astronomers to show them the way
An artist’s conception shows a long-range view of mining robots working on an asteroid. (Planetary Resources Illustration) AUSTIN, Texas — Mining asteroids for water and other resources could someday become a trillion-dollar business, but not without astronomers to point the way. At least that’s the view of Martin Elvis, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for…