SpaceX isn’t the only company going to outer space. Planetary Resources aims to commercialize deep-space exploration and mining. The company sites sourcing water as the first step to creating a civilization in space. Its mission is to unlock the critical water resources found in near-Earth asteroids that are necessary for human expansion in space. There are over 16,000 near-Earth asteroids. Near-Earth asteroids have an estimated 2 trillion tons of water, and they are more accessible than the moon. In 2020, Planetary Resources says it will deploy multiple spacecraft via a single rocket launch. Each spacecraft will visit a predetermined target asteroid and collect data and test material samples. After its fact-finding missions, Planetary Resources will look to construct and launch the first commercial mine in space. Planetary Resources plans to commercialize deep-space exploration and mining. The company says that its mission is to identify and unlock the critical water resources necessary for human expansion in space. Learn more at planetaryresources.com
SpaceX isn’t the only company going to outer space originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Feb 2018 20:44:00 EST.