The Verge - Planetary Resources: the new asteroid mining project backed by James Cameron and Google executives

Asteroid mining company unveils lightweight telescope for deep space missions

2013-01-22T08:20:52Z

Planetary Resources this week unveiled a full-scale prototype of its Arkyd-100 — a space telescope and technology demonstrator that will be used on the company's first deep space missions. Backed by high-profile investors like James Cameron, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt, the asteroid mining company last year announced plans to launch its first Arkyd spacecraft by 2014, in the hopes of harvesting precious metals and water from near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) within the decade.

Planetary Resources president and chief asteroid miner Chris Lewicki showed off the Arkyd-100 prototype in a video published Sunday, describing the 11 kilogram device as "daringly small." Lewicki did not divulge many details on the Arkyd-100's inner workings, citing...

Asteroid mining company Planetary Resources to launch first 'Arkyd' spaceship within 24 months

2012-04-24T18:19:24Z

After releasing some details this morning, Planetary Resources is outlining its plan to open up deep space exploration by mining near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) for water and precious metals. As previously announced, the company will be building a series of craft first to prospect for potential resource-bearing asteroids, then to chart a course and bring them back to orbital depots or even to Earth. Planetary Resources co-founder Eric Anderson acknowledges that the company is in a very early stage, but he claims that the company will be launching its first spacecraft, dubbed the "Arkyd," within 24 months and hopes to identify the first asteroids for mining within the decade.

The ship that will launch is likely going to be the Arkyd 101,...

Asteroid mining company Planetary Resources details plans for space resource hunt

2012-04-24T14:26:31Z

Planetary Resources, the high-profile new company backed by Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, and James Cameron among others, announced earlier today that it would be prospecting for near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) containing precious metals in the Platinum group or other natural resources. Now, it's revealed more about how it plans to reach these NEAs and bring their contents back to Earth.

Essentially, the company hopes to jump between asteroids, extending the reach of its ships by targeting NEAs rich with water. "In addition to supporting life, water will also be separated into oxygen and hydrogen for breathable air and rocket propellant," co-founder Eric Anderson explained in a press release. Planetary Resources claims that 1,500 of the known...

Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and James Cameron will begin space mining operations by 2022, details later today

2012-04-24T12:56:35Z

As promised, Bellevue, Washington-based Planetary Resources is letting everyone else in its plans. The project, backed by Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, film director James Cameron, and Ross Perot Jr., will initially focus on the creation of low-cost robotic spacecraft designed for use in surveying missions. Ultimately, the company hopes that the technology it creates will be used for the extraction of precious metals from space — invaluable as the supply available on Earth dwindles.

Planetary Resources hopes to begin mining in space within the next 10 years

The firm plans to have its first craft in orbit around Earth within the next two years, and by 2022 hopes to progress from observation platforms to selling prospecting...

Mystery company backed by James Cameron and Google executives may be an asteroid mining project

2012-04-18T17:37:02Z

MIT's Technology Review has just gotten news of a mysterious new project that claims it will "create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources.'" Space exploration company Planetary Resources will be unveiled in a conference call on Tuesday, April 24th. Besides the audacious announcement, which promises to "overlay two critical sectors — space exploration and natural resources — to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP," what makes this unique is its high-profile support group. The venture is backed by Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, director James Cameron, and politician Ross Perot's son, among others.

We're left to ponder, however, what Planetary Resources will actually do. Technology...