Tag: asteroid mining
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Planetary Resources’ Arkyd-6 prototype imaging satellite has left the building
Workers prepare Planetary Resources’ Arkyd-6 technology demonstrator satellite for shipment at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. (Planetary Resources via YouTube) Planetary Resources has been working on its Arkyd-6 imaging satellite for years, and today the company reported that the printer-sized spacecraft has finally begun its journey to an Indian launch pad. Arkyd-6 is considered…
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Why asteroids loom as a future space frontier for mining and manufacturing
In this artist’s conception, a mining spacecraft makes a rendezvous with an asteroid. (SpaceResources.lu) It’s been 55 years since satellite communications became the first commercial space frontier, and space tourism is looming as the next frontier. But what comes after that? Would you believe in-space mining and manufacturing? Those are the opportunities that came to…
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Planetary Resources’ asteroid miners cheer Luxembourg law on space property
Lawmakers in the tiny European country of Luxembourg today approved a measure affirming that space resources can be privately owned. The law, adopted nearly unanimously by Luxembourg’s parliament, also sets up procedures for authorizing and supervising space exploration missions. It will go into force on Aug. 1. Planetary Resources – which is headquartered in Redmond, Wash.,…
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It’s Asteroid Day! Scientists look on the bright side of our cosmic shooting gallery
This chart shows the distribution of known asteroids as of 2011, projected onto the solar system’s ecliptic plane. White circles represent the orbits of Earth, Mars and Jupiter. Scientists say there may be more than a million asteroids measuring 130 feet or wider. (JAXA / AKARI Graphic) Asteroid experts say they’re looking forward to an…
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Are asteroids leaving the spotlight? No way, say Asteroid Day activists
An artist’s concept shows asteroids zooming past Earth (NASA / Asteroid Day Illustration) NASA may be closing down its grand plan to study a piece of an asteroid up close, but the researchers who focus on near-Earth objects aren’t turning their backs on massive space boulders. They say it’s just a matter of time before…
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2020 or bust: Planetary Resources is getting more bullish about asteroid mining
Chris Lewicki, CEO of Planetary Resources (GeekWire photo) Planetary Resources CEO Chris Lewicki wants to let Mars-bound rockets carry five times more cargo than what’s possible today — but he doesn’t plan on simply making bigger rockets. The asteroid-mining company believes that rockets can free up some extra space by refueling in space, rather than…
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Luxembourg sets its sights on space resources, with Seattle as launch pad
Luxembourg’s Princess Stephanie and Prince Guillaume bend down to get a good look at Planetary Resources’ Arkyd 6 mini-satellites during a visit to the clean room at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Luxembourg’s royal heir and its top economic official got the grand tour of the Seattle area today,…
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Luxembourg leaders will visit Seattle area to dig deeper into asteroid mining
Luxembourg’s Crown Prince Guillaume and Deputy Prime Minister Étienne Schneider will be leading a delegation from the tiny European nation on a trip to the Seattle area on Monday. The main attraction? Asteroid mining, of course. Last year, Planetary Resources struck a deal for $28 million in investment and grants from Luxembourg’s government and bankers. Planetary Resources,…
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Planetary Resources strikes $28 million pact with Luxembourg for asteroid mining
An artist’s conception shows the Arkyd 6 space telescope in orbit. (Credit: Planetary Resources) Planetary Resources says it has finalized a $28 million (€25 million) agreement with Luxembourg to ramp up its asteroid mining campaign. The deal calls for the tiny European nation’s government and one of its top banking institutions, the Société Nationale de Crédit…
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NASA launches OSIRIS-REx probe on a mission to bring back bits of an asteroid
An Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, sending NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe into space. (Credit: Joel Kowsky / NASA> NASA launched its OSIRIS-REx probe today on America’s first mission to snag samples from a near-Earth asteroid and bring them back to Earth – and added a Star Trek twist. A United Launch Alliance Atlas…