Tag: Planetary Resources
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Planetary Resources shows off hardware that’s 3-D printed from real asteroid metal
This spacecraft prototype was created on a 3-D printer using metal from a meteorite found in Argentina. The object is sitting on the part of the meteorite that was left over. (Credit: Planetary Resources) A palm-sized prototype spacecraft is the first geometric object to be 3-D printed from asteroid metal, Redmond-based Planetary Resources says. The…
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Get an inside look at Planetary Resources’ asteroid mining HQ in Redmond from the Weather Channel
Planetary Resources is known to show visitors around its headquarters in Redmond, Wash., but it’s not too often that an outside TV crew gets an inside look at the asteroid-mining venture. The Weather Channel shared such a look over the weekend – including a look through the window at the next microsatellite the company plans to put into orbit.…
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Asteroid mining riches await: President Obama signs space resource bill into law
An artist’s concept shows a spacecraft mining an asteroid. (Credit: Bryan Versteeg / Deep Space Industries) President Barack Obama today put his signature on a law supporting the rights of space miners to extract, use and sell resources from asteroids, the moon, Mars and other celestial bodies – giving space-minded entrepreneurs something extra to be thankful for. “This…
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Asteroid miners hail commercial space legislation that sets up property rights in space
An artist’s conception shows an asteroid being mined by swarms of robots. (Credit: Planetary Resources) After months of consideration, Congress is finishing up work on legislation that establishes legal rights for U.S. citizens to own resources in outer space – a key requirement for asteroid mining ventures like Planetary Resources. “Many years from now, we will…
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Filing: Planetary Resources raises $12M as prospects look up for asteroid mining business
Planetary Resources’ chief asteroid miner Chris Lewicki at the GeekWire Summit 2014. Asteroid mining company Planetary Resources has raised $12 million in funding, according to an SEC filing on Wednesday. The company, which is backed by celebrity investors like Richard Branson, filmmaker James Cameron and Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, plans to sell a total of $20…
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Asteroids loom as the new Klondike for Seattle region’s space industry
An artist’s conception shows an asteroid-hunting telescope in Earth orbit. (Credit: NASA) Seattle could profit from the rush for resources in outer space much as it did during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s: by selling goods and services to the fortune-seekers. At least that’s the vision laid out by entrepreneurs who are laying the…
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Six small steps that could add up to giant leaps for spaceships
An artist’s conception shows a Magbeam station emitting a plasma beam to propel a target spacecraft beyond Jupiter. (Credit: UW Advanced Propulsion Lab) SPOKANE, Wash. — Is there a better way to power a spaceship? The basic tools of the rocket trade have been refined over the course of nearly nine decades, but there’s only so far…
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Asteroid-mining milestone: Planetary Resources deploys first spacecraft into orbit
The Arkyd 3 Reflight Spacecraft deploying from the International Space Station’s Kibo airlock for a 90-day test mission. (Credit: Planetary Resources.) Asteroid mining company Planetary Resources has deployed its first spacecraft into orbit from the International Space Station — beginning a 90-day test mission for several of the key technologies required to hunt for near-Earth asteroids. The deployment of…
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House passes space mining bill allowing companies to keep what they find in asteroids
Planetary Resources President Chris Lewicki with the Arkyd spacecraft at the GeekWire Summit 2014. Asteroid mining has made its way to Washington D.C. To help companies gain future legal ownership of resources found in space asteroids, the House of Representatives passed the “SPACE Act of 2015” this week, The Washington Post reported. The legislation would create new commercial property…
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SpaceX set for another Falcon 9 landing attempt; new Planetary Resources satellite on board for Space Station
The “autonomous spaceport drone ship” that SpaceX built to recover the Falcon 9 first stage. Update, 1:30 p.m.: Monday’s launch has been scrubbed due to weather. Another launch will be attempted on Tuesday at 1:10 p.m. Pacific. Launch postponed due to lightning from an approaching anvil cloud — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 13, 2015 This…