Author Topic: Planetary Resources (Read 380602 times)

PerW · « **Reply #780 on:** 12/01/2015 05:15 pm »

"Your ARKYD is set to launch as early as late 2015 or early 2016"
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arkydforeveryone/arkyd-a-space-telescope-for-everyone-0/posts/912527

Is there anyone who has heard anything regarding this?

"Estimated delivery: Aug 2015", I have no problem with a delay, but I think that we who together contributed 1.5M$ should be getting more progress reports

Prober · « **Reply #781 on:** 12/01/2015 07:47 pm »

Quote from: PerW on 12/01/2015 05:15 pm

"Your ARKYD is set to launch as early as late 2015 or early 2016"
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arkydforeveryone/arkyd-a-space-telescope-for-everyone-0/posts/912527

Is there anyone who has heard anything regarding this?

"Estimated delivery: Aug 2015", I have no problem with a delay, but I think that we who together contributed 1.5M$ should be getting more progress reports

on their email list and been getting all kinds of email (shy on time). Do know they have some PR event in the works.

PerW · « **Reply #782 on:** 12/01/2015 07:52 pm »

Quote from: Prober on 12/01/2015 07:47 pm

on their email list and been getting all kinds of email (shy on time). Do know they have some PR event in the works.

OK, thanks. I thought I was on there email list, but maybe I dropped out.

Prober · « **Reply #783 on:** 12/01/2015 07:57 pm »

Quote from: PerW on 12/01/2015 07:52 pm

Quote from: Prober on 12/01/2015 07:47 pm

on their email list and been getting all kinds of email (shy on time). Do know they have some PR event in the works.

OK, thanks. I thought I was on there email list, but maybe I dropped out.

try this email..

We invite you to join us for a Google+ Hangout discussion about the historic passage of the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (H.R. 2262) into law.

On Tue., December 1 at 12:00 p.m. (EDT), the Commercial Spaceflight Federation will be hosting a Google+ Space Resources Hangout with representatives from the White House and industry to discuss the impact of the new law: what it means for industry, and what it means for the United States economy and exploration activities.

Peter Marquez, our Vice President of Global Engagement, will represent Planetary Resources.

Join the Hangout via YouTube and Google+. You may also participate in the conversation by tweeting @CSF_spaceflight and @PlanetaryRsrcs, and using the hashtag #SpaceResources.

Event Page - https://plus.google.com/events/c541n57cc8jvs7m8ub334huv8so
YouTube Stream -
This conversation will be moderated by Eric Stallmer, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

Participants include:
•Tom Kalil - Deputy Director, Technology and Innovation - Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House
•Mike Gold - Director of DC Operations and Business Growth, Bigelow Aerospace
•Peter Marquez - Vice President, Global Engagement, Planetary Resources
•Bob Richards - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Moon Express
•NASA – TBD

You can also read up on the passage of this law here: "President Obama Signs Bill Recognizing Asteroid Resource Property Rights into Law".

-Planetary Resources, Inc.
================

Hope that helps...

AdrianW · « **Reply #784 on:** 01/11/2016 07:27 am »

In collaboration with a partner company, Planetary Resources 3D-printed an object from actual meteorite material. From the article:

Quote

This spacecraft prototype was 3D printed from actual an asteroid that was, pulverized, powdered and processed on the new 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) ProX DMP 320 metals 3D printer.

Pretty cool, though I wonder how well that machine will work in zero-g.

Beittil · « **Reply #785 on:** 01/11/2016 07:52 am »

Planetary Resources have announced the plans to launch a batch of Arkyd 100's into a constellation called 'Ceres' for Earth Observation, guess they need some revenue

http://www.planetaryresources.com/earth-observation/#eo-intro

I still wonder what the timeline is for the first 'production' Arkyd 100's to go up, their 2nd technology demonstrator is currently on the roll for piggybacking from Vandy during an F9 launch in April. How much longer until a fully matured bird? Anybody have more on this?

TrevorMonty · « **Reply #786 on:** 01/11/2016 08:23 am »

Quote from: Beittil on 01/11/2016 07:52 am

Planetary Resources have announced the plans to launch a batch of Arkyd 100's into a constellation called 'Ceres' for Earth Observation, guess they need some revenue

http://www.planetaryresources.com/earth-observation/#eo-intro

I still wonder what the timeline is for the first 'production' Arkyd 100's to go up, their 2nd technology demonstrator is currently on the roll for piggybacking from Vandy during an F9 launch in April. How much longer until a fully matured bird? Anybody have more on this?

It took a while but PR are jumping on the earth observations bandwagon. Not a bad decision as it will give them cashflow to finance their BLEO missions and provide a proving ground for their technology.

AdrianW · « **Reply #787 on:** 01/11/2016 08:39 am »

Quote from: TrevorMonty on 01/11/2016 08:23 am

It took a while but PR are jumping on the earth observations bandwagon.

If I recall correctly, Earth observation for revenue generation was part of their business plan since the very beginning (at least since they came out of dark mode in 2012).

as58 · « **Reply #788 on:** 01/11/2016 10:37 am »

They seem to be targeting a slightly different market than most (all?) other commercial earth observing satellites. Instead of high-resolution optical/NIR imaging they're emphasising low(ish) resolution mid-infrared. That should at least be a less crowded market.

parabolicarc · « **Reply #789 on:** 01/11/2016 04:53 pm »

Has anyone heard anything about the Arkyd they deployed from ISS back in July on a 90-day mission? It reentered the atmosphere on Dec. 23. They apparently haven't said anything about it since the deployment. That makes me think it was lost and didn't return much of anything.

Danderman · « **Reply #790 on:** 02/19/2016 09:02 pm »

Quote from: marsavian on 08/07/2012 12:06 pm

Planetary Resources Inc., an asteroid-mining venture backed by Google Inc. (GOOG) executives, said it added more billionaire investors and is nearing a partnership agreement with a “top-10” mining company.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-06/google-backed-asteroid-mining-venture-adds-billionaire-investors.html

So, in the last four years, what happened to all of this?

savuporo · « **Reply #791 on:** 05/26/2016 05:26 pm »

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arkydforeveryone/arkyd-a-space-telescope-for-everyone-0/posts/1584844

Final Update and FULL Refund

Quote

t is with heavy heart that we share this news. The Kickstarter community is stellar and we continue to be inspired by your passion as we make our way into the Cosmos. One of the things we enjoy most in building technology to explore space is sharing that journey with others. You can rest assured we will continue to take you on our journey as we make our way to the asteroids and beyond.

Sincerely,

Chris Lewicki

Your biggest fan & Chief Asteroid Miner, Planetary Resources, Inc.

jongoff · « **Reply #792 on:** 05/26/2016 05:30 pm »

Yup, pretty much what I suspected from day one--the real market they raised money on has always been Earth Observation, with Asteroid Mining just being a long-term aspiration. Very cool though, and they have a good chance of making a valuable niche for themselves in the Earth Observation world.

~Jon

AdrianW · « **Reply #793 on:** 05/26/2016 05:40 pm »

Quote from: jongoff on 05/26/2016 05:30 pm

Yup, pretty much what I suspected from day one--the real market they raised money on has always been Earth Observation, with Asteroid Mining just being a long-term aspiration.

Because that's also what they said from day one – no need to suspect anything. The only thing they canceled is the Kickstarter project, the rest (Earth observation and asteroid mining) is still on track.

See this video:

for a tour through their headquarters, especially 3:40 (3D-printed structures from chemically unaltered meteorite powder) and 12:35 (Arkyd-100 and 200 prototypes).

savuporo · « **Reply #794 on:** 05/26/2016 06:20 pm »

http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=48750

Planetary Resources Raises $21.1 Million In Series A Funding; Unveils Advanced Earth Observation Capability

And the GeekWire article with Alan Boyle and the video from above too:

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/planetary-resources-asteroid-mining-earth-observation-21-million-funding/

abaddon · « **Reply #795 on:** 05/26/2016 06:48 pm »

Okay, so, I'm feeling a little cynical here. Planetary Resources just got a $1.5 million interest-free crowdfunded loan for three years. (They actually got to make money on it, assuming even a conservative investment). Not only that but anyone who doesn't act on the refund within a mere month and a half loses their right to a refund, so they will likely end up keeping some portion of the money.

I'm not super familiar with Kickstarter (only participated in a couple of projects) and I get that this kind of thing can happen. I have no affiliation with any of these companies and I did not participate in this Kickstarter. So maybe I'm ignorant (and in that case I'd love to be informed) but isn't this a little... sketchy?

savuporo · « **Reply #796 on:** 05/26/2016 06:58 pm »

Quote from: abaddon on 05/26/2016 06:48 pm

Okay, so, I'm feeling a little cynical here. Planetary Resources just got a $1.5 million interest-free crowdfunded loan for three years. (They actually got to make money on it, assuming even a conservative investment). Not only that but anyone who doesn't act on the refund within a mere month and a half loses their right to a refund, so they will likely end up keeping some portion of the money.

I'm not super familiar with Kickstarter (only participated in a couple of projects) and I get that this kind of thing can happen. I have no affiliation with any of these companies and I did not participate in this Kickstarter. So maybe I'm ignorant (and in that case I'd love to be informed) but isn't this a little... sketchy?

When you are trying to get a business off the ground - which PR has made clear from the outset - a pivot like this is not unusual at all.
They have not misled or misrepresented their goals, and are offering full refunds too. When they got started, there was no functioning equity crowdfunding mechanism either, if there was, they may have chosen that option.

There are always going to some grouchy people, maybe motivated by envy, but it looks like even from the KS backers most of them are happy to have supported the company early on and are not even bothering with the re-fund. Me too.

Lar · « **Reply #797 on:** 05/26/2016 07:25 pm »

I got a year long Planetary Society membership as part of the rewards at my pledge level. While I'm bummed I won't be getting a space selfie after all, I'm actually kind of amazed and impressed that they aren't deducting the cost of that from what I will be getting back. They are eating that cost and giving it ALL back.

That's not "sketchy", that's "class act".

My admiration for them has grown today.

Star One · « **Reply #798 on:** 05/26/2016 07:33 pm »

And here's the original press release on their website.

Redmond, Washington – May 26, 2016 – Planetary Resources, Inc., the asteroid mining company, announced today that it has secured US$21.1 million in Series A funding. The capital will be used to deploy and operate Ceres, an advanced Earth observation business that features the first commercial infrared and hyperspectral sensor platform to better understand and manage humanity’s natural resources. The funding was led by Bryan Johnson and the OS FUND; and joined by Idea Bulb Ventures; Tencent; Vast Ventures; Grishin Robotics; Conversion Capital; The Seraph Group; Space Angels Network, a syndication of investors from Angel.co; and Larry Page. Earth observation will be another aspect of Planetary Resources’ operations in addition to prospecting and mining asteroids.

Conceived from the company’s vision for the exploration and utilization of asteroid resources, Ceres will leverage Planetary Resources’ Arkyd spacecraft to deliver affordable, on-demand Earth intelligence of our natural resources on any spot on the planet. While typical satellite imagery provides only a picture, Ceres will provide actionable data with higher spectral resolutions – going beyond what the human eye can see – by measuring thermographic properties and detecting the composition of materials on Earth’s surface. The midwave-infrared sensor is the first ever commercial capability from space to offer thermographic mapping and night-imaging, and the hyperspectral sensor includes an unprecedented 40 color bands in the visible to near-infrared spectrum.

The imaging technology is integrated onto the Arkyd spacecraft and deployed as a constellation of 10 satellites in low-Earth orbit. The constellation will provide global monitoring capability to benefit multiple industries including agriculture, oil & gas, water quality, financial intelligence and forestry. Ceres can analyze the spectral signatures of crops and provide customized information to growers, identify energy and mineral resources, and monitor pipelines and remote infrastructure. The system can also track toxic algae blooms, monitor global water quality and enable the detection of wildfires in their earliest stages.

Planetary Resources is currently testing Ceres’ sensor platform and will demonstrate the technology in space with an upcoming scheduled launch of the company’s Arkyd 6 spacecraft onboard a Space X Falcon 9 rocket. The mission will validate the thermographic sensor and supporting technologies for the Arkyd series of spacecraft.

“As we continue toward our vision of the expansion of humanity and our economy into the Solar System, our team has been working on the critical technologies required to detect and identify the most commercially viable near-Earth asteroids and their resources,” said Chris Lewicki, President and CEO, Planetary Resources, Inc. “To characterize these resources, it required more than just a picture, and our team has developed advanced spectral sensors to serve this need. We have also created new technologies for onboard computing, low-cost space platforms, and are now applying these transformative technologies in additional markets.”

Bryan Johnson, Founder of OS Fund and Board of Director member at Planetary Resources, Inc., said, “With Ceres, Planetary Resources has leapfrogged traditional imagers for monitoring Earth’s natural resources, creating far-ranging opportunity. It’s a seismic shift for the new space economy.”

James Crawford, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Orbital Insight, Inc. said, “When Planetary Resources’ Ceres constellation is complete, it will transform the ability to monitor, model and manage global commodities and provide visibility across all major industrial supply chains.”

Liam Condon, CEO, Bayer CropScience said, “The highly innovative and cost-effective technology Planetary Resources is deploying has the potential to transform activities that were once confined to the laboratory into everyday use, as growers increasingly rely on data-driven tools and new technologies to inform their business decisions.”

Jim Hollis, CEO, Neos GeoSolutions said, “We are very excited about Planetary Resources’ new infrared and hyperspectral imagery system. This promises to be a powerful new component to our energy exploration system.”

For more information on Planetary Resources’ Ceres, please visit www.planetaryresources.com.

savuporo · « **Reply #799 on:** 05/26/2016 07:45 pm »

And i have to say .. kickstarter or not - its awesome to see another very strong team setting up a new space business and getting validated by a sizeable investment.

How often do you get refunds for tax-funded space projects that fail to take off ?