Wed, Feb 21, 2018
Planetary Resources Determining What It Does Next
Planetary Resources, which had hoped to send spacecraft to asteroids to exploit their resources as a mining company, is having difficulty digging up the money it needs to accomplish its goals.
GeekWire reports that in an email, company spokeswoman Stacey Tearne said that the company missed a fundraising milestone, and while it "remains committed to utilizing the resources from space to further explore space", the current focus is on "near-term revenue streams by maximizing the opportunity of having a spacecraft in orbit.”
That spacecraft is the Arkyd-6 prototype space telescope that was launched in December. The spacecraft is a broadband imager spanning 3 to 5 microns within the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This region is sensitive to the presence of water – including that in hydrated minerals – and thermal energy, allowing it to be used as a tool to search for water on Earth and beyond. The goal was for Planetary Resources to create an instrument capable of detecting water on near-Earth asteroids.
The company lists about 70 employees, but Tearne would not discuss personnel matters with GeekWire. But several top-level employees have left the company, according to their social media profiles, including former VP of Strategy and Development Aksha Patel, who is now working at OneWeb.
Google co-founder Larry Page and former Microsoft executive Charles Simonyi had been among the big-dollar backers of Planetary Resources when it was founded in 2009. It is not clear why the company missed the recent fundraising target.
(Image provided by Planetary Resources)
More News
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]
Aircraft Conflict Predicted conflict, within EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the predicted minimum separation is 5 na>[...]