Asteroid Mining  

By early next Spring, asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources may have it's first satellite in orbit.  The spacecraft, the A3, is a demonstrator unit to be used for early testing and validation of Planetary Resources exploration model.

Asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources has announced that it will launch the first in its Arkyd Series spacecraft, named A3 into low-Earth orbit as early as April 2014. The A3 is the Arkyd 100’s technology demonstrator, and the mission will provide for early testing and serve to validate the spacecraft’s core technology and software in the development of the program.

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Planetary Resources is under contract with NanoRacks, through its Space Act Agreement with NASA, to release the A3 from the International Space Station’s Kibo airlock. “We are excited for the opportunity that this rapid launch option provides us to begin testing the avionics and control systems of the Arkyd Series spacecraft,” said Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer, Planetary Resources, Inc.

Lewicki continued, “The A3 test flight will enable the Arkyd-100 Series to be the most advanced spacecraft per kilogram that has ever been built. The A3 is a sophisticated yet cost-effective means to test technologies supporting the follow-on Arkyd 100 missions in 2015.”

About the size and weight of a small desk-top computer, the Arkyd 100 provides a compact and capable platform for near-earth asteroid (NEA) detection and characterization. The A3 test spacecraft, at just 10 lbs (4 Kg), about one-third the weight of an Arkyd-100, offers an even more compact vehicle for early testing for many of Arkyd 100’s key functions.

Planetary Resources’ long-term mission is to mine NEAs for raw materials, ranging from elements used in rocket fuel to precious metals. The Arkyd-100 Series will be used in low-Earth orbit to assist in selecting the first priority targets for the company’s follow-on expeditions.

“We believe that the best testbed for the Arkyd is space itself,” said Chris Voorhees, Vice President of Spacecraft Development, Planetary Resources, Inc. “Deploying the A3 from the International Space Station provides an efficient and cost-effective way to test many of the new technologies that we’ve developed for its future asteroid prospecting platforms. The team is excited about getting A3 some flight time on orbit next year.



SOURCE  Planetary Resources

By 33rd Square

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Planetary Resources has recently shared their progress on the Arkyd space telescope they are developing to search for suitable asteroid mining targets. Presented by Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer, you can see one of the full scale Arkyd-100 mechanical prototypes.

Planetary Resources, the new company that plans on mining asteroids, has recently shared their progress on the Arkyd space telescope they are developing to search for suitable targets.

In the video below presented by Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer, you can see one of the full scale Arkyd-100 mechanical prototypes. The Arkyd-100 is to be used as Planetary Resource's space telescope and technology demonstrator for the Arkyd Series prospecting missions.

Much of the telescope has been designed and built in-house by the team at Planetary Resources. This is much the same way that Elon Musk and SpaceX have vertically integrated to drive innovation, control reliability, and keep costs down. This mindset and capability will allow the company to mass produce spacecraft at extremely low cost.

The Arkyd-100 is extremely small, and this will potentially cut the cost of deep space missions below anything the public has become accustomed to.

Planetary Resources put an incredible amount into 11 kg, from deployable solar arrays, to the integrated avionics bay, and an instrument and sensor package at the back of the comparatively large optical assembly, that dominates the volume of the spacecraft.  There has also been a lot of work put into the software driving all of these components.

According to Lewicki, the Arkyd-100 is the most advanced spacecraft per kilogram that exists today. "We’re drawing on our experience from traditional and private space exploration and combining it with exponential technology developments of the past few years and those to come in the next few years. With all of this we’re raising the bar on spacecraft design above anything that’s been done before."

The video also includes a tour of the Planetary Resources manufacturing facility, where they are building additional configuration prototypes. Using computer-controlled machining to create single piece parts that serve as major structural elements of the Arkyd-100 series, the engineers are driving simplicity and tight integration into the vehicle. The company's goal is evolve a process that allows just a few staff to deliver a finished spacecraft in a very short period of time.

Planetary Resources plans to share more information as they get closer to launching the first of their spacecraft.  More information is available from their media site.

What excites you most about the progress towards creating the Arkyd-100 series, the first commercial spacecraft capable of venturing into deep space?



SOURCE  Planetary Resources

By 33rd Square

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