Author Topic: Planetary Resources (Read 380599 times)

abaddon · « **Reply #800 on:** 05/26/2016 08:53 pm »

Fair enough - thanks for the responses.

enzo · « **Reply #801 on:** 05/26/2016 11:36 pm »

I am curious to know if there was a specific engineering reason why it was not feasible to integrate a screen and selfie arm on the satellite. I am suspicious, but I don't think they intended for this to happen.

QuantumG · « **Reply #802 on:** 05/26/2016 11:38 pm »

They say the business case didn't close.

enzo · « **Reply #803 on:** 05/26/2016 11:41 pm »

Yes, the business case and engineering are two sides of the same coin. I'm wondering why $1.5M wasn't enough to put a vacuum-proof screen and a simple arm on the craft. If they didn't have some rudimentary plan at the beginning, that's irresponsible.

QuantumG · « **Reply #804 on:** 05/26/2016 11:58 pm »

The business case for the Space Telescope For Everyone was selling time on the telescope. Providing the selfies was just fulfilling Kickstarter rewards.

enzo · « **Reply #805 on:** 05/27/2016 12:07 am »

They are going to have lots of telescopes, and therefore anticipate a lot of business, so their explanation that they don't have business/educational support doesn't make sense. Whether the buyers request imagery, or control the telescope themselves, is a minor software distinction. So to me, the issue is that they could not deliver what was promised to the backers, which was selfies.

QuantumG · « **Reply #806 on:** 05/27/2016 01:07 am »

I'm really not too interested in your opinion that they're lying. I'm just relaying what they said. Personally, I think you're reaching. It'd be pretty easy to do selfies, and they might still do that, but they didn't do a Kickstarter for space selfies - they did a Kickstarter for a space telescope for everyone and the "everyone" who might want access to a space telescope didn't materialize.

TrevorMonty · « **Reply #807 on:** 05/27/2016 02:08 am »

The $1.5m they raised from Kickstarter is loose change for some of PR billionare backers. Why the kickstarter in first place?.

Lar · « **Reply #808 on:** 05/27/2016 02:15 am »

Quote from: TrevorMonty on 05/27/2016 02:08 am

The $1.5m they raised from Kickstarter is loose change for some of PR billionare backers. Why the kickstarter in first place?.

PR PR

(public awareness building for Planetary Resources)

QuantumG · « **Reply #809 on:** 05/27/2016 02:21 am »

What billionaire backers? We've had this discussion before - the press misreports Planetary Resources' celebrity advisers as investors all the time.

savuporo · « **Reply #810 on:** 05/27/2016 02:28 am »

Quote from: QuantumG on 05/27/2016 02:21 am

What billionaire backers? We've had this discussion before - the press misreports Planetary Resources' celebrity advisers as investors all the time.

http://www.planetaryresources.com/2013/06/in-the-final-hours-were-100k-closer-to-2m-sir-richard-branson-supports-the-arkyd/
Wonder if he will ask for a refund, too.

QuantumG · « **Reply #811 on:** 05/27/2016 02:32 am »

Hehe.. imagine the Paypal fees.

Lar · « **Reply #812 on:** 05/27/2016 02:42 am »

Refunds are free of fees if the original payment was via PayPal and the refund is within the time limit...

Er, oops

AdrianW · « **Reply #813 on:** 05/27/2016 04:15 am »

Quote from: enzo on 05/26/2016 11:41 pm

If they didn't have some rudimentary plan at the beginning, that's irresponsible.

Yes, I'm sure the Flight Director for Spirit and Opportunity and the Chief Engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory just said "Dude, let's put a space selfie-stick in orbit! We'll figure it out after we got the moneyz ololol"...

Seriously, this kind of arm-chair criticism is ridiculous.

Mariusuiram · « **Reply #814 on:** 05/27/2016 05:24 am »

I would love to find a longer form paper or article looking at the business case for all these start ups doing Earth Observation from LEO. I consult in industries that I could definitely see doing this, but I dont fully understand how big the market could be. And considering the number of start ups, I also wonder how they will differentiate / survive.

An interesting question would be the competitive advantages. PR is a little late to the party, but has that added motivation that this business is really a stepping stone towards something much grander. You can argue how that kind of deeper mission motivates at a company like SpaceX (we are lofting commercial comm sats, but that's so we can get to Mars, etc). But there could always be a flip side where it hurts their ability to compete if they are losing focus on what might become a relatively commoditized / competitive business.

I say commoditized without really understanding it that well. But from what I can tell you are selling imaging services. Eventually the successful firms will likely cover all the wavelengths / image types that are most commercially in demand. Isnt that hardware relatively straight forward? Then its a question of the rest of the system. And maybe something along the lines of cost to produce, cost to launch, useful life.

If its a relatively low margin business due to this competition, its hard to fund a big R&D project like asteroid prospecting. Especially if the overall market size is not that big and you have 5+ competing firms.

Mostly just some quick thoughts & questions.

savuporo · « **Reply #815 on:** 05/27/2016 06:16 am »

Quote from: Mariusuiram on 05/27/2016 05:24 am

... And considering the number of start ups, I also wonder how they will differentiate / survive.

In addition to wavelengths, spatial and temporal resolution of imaging: easy to imagine end uses where frequent imaging is a significant enabler. Responsiveness, also postprocessing and data distribution and delivery networks etc.
There is a huge room for continous improvement, and every step improvement could enable completely new terrestrial markets at certain price points.
Not sure if we are even seeing the tip of the iceberg yet ( no infrared band )

Mariusuiram · « **Reply #816 on:** 05/27/2016 08:04 am »

Quote from: savuporo on 05/27/2016 06:16 am

Quote from: Mariusuiram on 05/27/2016 05:24 am
... And considering the number of start ups, I also wonder how they will differentiate / survive.
In addition to wavelengths, spatial and temporal resolution of imaging: easy to imagine end uses where frequent imaging is a significant enabler. Responsiveness, also postprocessing and data distribution and delivery networks etc.
There is a huge room for continous improvement, and every step improvement could enable completely new terrestrial markets at certain price points.
Not sure if we are even seeing the tip of the iceberg yet ( no infrared band )

Those are good points. Also seems to imply at some point scale will become a big factor to serve large corporate clients with numerous locations, requirements, and high responsiveness expectations.

go4mars · « **Reply #817 on:** 08/03/2016 08:13 pm »

Quote from: QuantumG on 05/27/2016 02:21 am

What billionaire backers? We've had this discussion before - the press misreports Planetary Resources' celebrity advisers as investors all the time.

I'd be curious to see a clarifying table if anyone wishes to volunteer.

For example Bill Gates via NEOS - rumour or real?
Stu Blusson - involved how?
Ross Perot's boy
Google guys / PayPal (sorry, need to stop here for a second and just say that I have to use stupid words to get my point across. I know that means I must have a weak argument, but that's why I use bad words).
Sir Richard Brandon?
Who else?

Coastal Ron · « **Reply #818 on:** 11/05/2016 03:36 am »

New money for Planetary Resources:

Planetary Resources mines Luxembourg for $28M in asteroid-hunting funds | TechCrunch

"The aspiring asteroid miners at Planetary Resources have struck pay dirt in Luxembourg, the tiny (but wealthy) European country positioning itself as an ally to commercial space. The country is directly investing €12 million, with another €13 million coming from public investment bank SNCI."

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #819 on:** 05/22/2017 07:50 pm »

Quote

MAY 22, 2017
Planetary Resources Names Brian Israel As General Counsel
A veteran international technology lawyer, Mr. Israel led the U.S. Government’s approach to space resource utilization

Redmond, Washington – May 22, 2017 – Planetary Resources, the asteroid mining company, announced today that it has named Brian Israel as General Counsel. Mr. Israel will oversee the legal, regulatory, and compliance functions for the company, its parent, and Planetary Resources Luxembourg. The company’s vision is to expand humanity’s economic sphere of influence into the Solar System by providing resources for people and products in space, with a near-term goal of identification, extraction, and refinement of water from near-Earth asteroids.

Mr. Israel joins Planetary Resources from the United States Department of State, where he served in the Office of the Legal Adviser since 2009. For more than five years, Mr. Israel was the lead lawyer responsible interpreting and applying the United States’ international legal obligations to contemporary and contemplated commercial space activities. He led the U.S. Government’s approach to the international legal dimensions of space resource utilization at home and abroad, including as United States Representative to the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space from 2012 to 2016. Beyond the space domain, Mr. Israel brings deep expertise in the legal dimensions of advanced technology development and regulation. He has published and lectured on public international law, space law, the law of the sea, environmental law, the Arctic, intellectual property law, and innovation policy in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Watch Chris Lewicki’s and Brian Israel’s introductory discussion in the video below.

Chris Lewicki, President and CEO, Planetary Resources, Inc., said, “Brian’s extensive experience and global perspective are unique strategic assets as our operations become increasingly multinational. Our investors are multinational. We now have operations in Luxembourg. And our customer base will be global. Brian is a creative and strategic thinker, and he is uniquely placed to help Planetary Resources achieve its mission.”

Brian Israel said, “I’m thrilled to join this extraordinary team, which has “the right stuff” to make the audacious mission of Planetary Resources a reality. The idea of harnessing the resources of outer space predates spaceflight itself. But path-breaking innovation requires more than an idea. It is about execution. This team knows how to execute.”

http://www.planetaryresources.com/2017/05/planetary-resources-names-brian-israel-as-general-counsel/