asteroidmining
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Blockchain company buys asteroid mining firm Planetary Resources
Planetary Resources just took an unusual turn on its path to asteroid mining. ConsenSys, a blockchain company created by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, has bought Planetary Resources for an unspecified sum. It sounds supremely trendy given the combination of blockchain and private spaceflight, but it's a logical fit if you ask Planetary Resources' Brian Israel. Blockchain-based smart contracts represent a "natural solution" for commerce in space, Israel said -- there are no territorial divisions, so this may be an ideal way for people from various countries to "coordinate and transact."
Luxembourg's asteroid mining law takes effect August 1st
Luxembourg's parliament has voted in favor of passing an asteroid mining law that give companies ownership of what they extract from the celestial bodies. The European country has been working on the bill since 2016 and originally intended to pass it earlier this year. It took a bit more time to iron things out, but in the end, it's gotten an overwhelmingly unanimous vote and is scheduled to take effect on August 1st.
Space mining gets a boost through Luxembourg's new law
American asteroid mining companies are allowed to keep their hauls, but what about European outfits? They should be set from now on. Luxembourg (which already has its own space mining tech) has adopted a draft law that gives private operations the right to keep what they take from asteroids and other near Earth objects, so long as they get authorization for their mission and obey international law. This doesn't let anyone lay claim to spaceborne entities, the country says -- it just eliminates the uncertainty when that material arrives on the ground. The law should take effect sometime in early 2017.
Deep Space Industries plans to land on an asteroid by 2020
This week, asteroid mining company Deep Space Industries announced detailed plans to launch the first private mission to an asteroid by 2020. The California-based company plans to build a successor to its Prospector-X test craft called Prospector–1, which will land directly on an asteroid as it passes near Earth. Although Prospector–1 won't be bringing back any gold or platinum, the historic mission will map the surface of the asteroid and analyze the rock for resources that could be useful in DSI's long-term plans.
Luxembourg's spacecraft will test its asteroid mining tech
Luxembourg is pouring some of its wealth into the development and launch of a spacecraft that could make it even richer. The tiny European country has teamed up with California-based Deep Space Industries to create Prospector-X, an experimental spacecraft designed to test some of their asteroid-mining technologies.
This is the first object 3D-printed from alien metal
So-called "asteroid mining" company Planetary Resources is built on the belief that asteroids and other objects in space are loaded with resources that we can take advantage of, both here on Earth and as we begin to explore space in earnest. The essentially infinite supply of rocks floating through space, filled with valuable minerals that we'll eventually run out of on our home planet, sounds like a great resource to take advantage of. But the idea of mining, processing and building with alien metals also sounds like a massive and daunting undertaking.
President signs pro-asteroid mining bill into law
And just like that, American asteroid mining efforts are legal. President Obama has signed the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLCA) into law following Congress' approval, letting companies keep whatever resources they collect beyond Earth. As you might imagine, hopeful mining outfits like Planetary Resources are relieved. While the odds weren't that high that the government would confiscate their minerals as soon as they landed, the Act removes any ambiguity.
Asteroid mining might compromise telecom and defense satellites
Asteroid mining might provide a lot of jobs and new sources of gold, titanium, platinum and other metals, as well as hydrogen and ammonia in the future. But it could also spell disaster for telecom satellites orbiting the Earth if it's not managed properly. You see, some companies planning to mine the celestial objects are looking for ways to ferry them closer to home. Remember how NASA aims to take a chunk from an asteroid and drag it to the moon's orbit using a spacecraft? Something like that, but likely on a much bigger scale. Unfortunately, asteroids have weak gravity and could yield huge amounts of debris, which might end up polluting the geosynchronous orbit. That's where most telecom and defense satellites are stationed.
Larry Page's asteroid-mining firm launches its first satellite in July
Planetary Resources hasn't had much success getting its asteroid-mining business off the ground, in a very literal sense -- it lost its first satellite, Arkyd-3, in the Antares rocket explosion last year. It's about to get a second try, though. The Larry Page-backed company has announced that its craft's follow-up, Arkyd 3 Reflight (aka Arkyd 3R), is scheduled to launch from the International Space Station in July. While the vehicle will spend just 90 days sending self-diagnostic info before it falls to Earth, it'll serve as a useful test run before the more ambitious Arkyd 6 starts wielding its scientific instruments in December. No, this isn't the long-promised space telescope, but it's an important early step.
Planetary Resources reveals plan for prospecting asteroids, creating interstellar gas stations
The cat got let out of the bag a little early, but Planetary Resources has now officially announced its existence and mission. We already told you that the venture plans to mine asteroids for profit, and is backed by a bunch of bigwigs from Silicon Valley and Hollywood. But now we know a bit more about the company after watching its announcement webcast and speaking with co-founder Peter Diamandis. Turns out, the company sees itself not only as a business venture, but as an entity that will pave the way for extending human influence throughout the solar system. Read on after the break for more.
James Cameron-backed Planetary Resources to search the universe for Unobtainium
Planetary Resources will reportedly announce later today that it's developing and selling low-cost spacecraft to mine asteroids close to the Earth. The space exploration and natural resources venture is led by X-Prize creator Peter Diamandis, Eric Anderson and NASA's former Mars chief, Chris Lewicki -- with cash backing from James Cameron, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page amongst others. Within a decade, the company hopes to kickstart a 21st century gold rush by selling orbiting observation platforms to prospectors with significant rewards -- a 30-meter long asteroid could hold as much as $50 billion worth of platinum at today's prices. The company's own teaser materials promised that the project would add "trillions of dollars" to the world's GDP, which sounds like a film we saw recently.
