Planetary Resources Moves Forward on Asteroid Resource Development, Leading Market
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on 4/7/2014
Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer of Planetary Resources, spent time at the Cambridge House Resource Investment Conference in Vancouver, discussing his company’s vision for bringing asteroid-based resources to market over the long term.
Lewicki is no stranger to working in the space industry. Of his background, he said, “I’m an aerospace engineer and worked for NASA for ten years. I was the Flight Director for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. The Opportunity rover is still out there roving on Mars. I went to do some more interesting things like landing on the North Pole and digging up water.” After conquering rovers and the North Pole, Lewicki and his team are now focused on finding new resources that can be accessed in asteroids. Lewicki said, “Now with my co-founders we have founded an asteroid mining company.” Lewicki describes his company this way, “We are a junior engineering company that is deploying technology to prospect near-Earth asteroids. Our mission is a lofty one and that is to expand the ventures of humanity off of the Earth and into the solar system.”
The ARKYD 100, a commercial space telescope within reach of the private citizen
Lewicki and his team see the expansion of mining into space as the next logical step for the industry and for the future of humanity. Said Lewicki, “As everyone at this conference knows, it has been resources that have fueled the expansion and the prosperity here on Earth, allowing us to live off of the land and settle into remote areas.” Lewicki sees the same progression needed if humans expect to be able to live in space. He said, “We expect that if we are going to do that same thing in space, that there will be resources involved and it is a lot better to get them closer to the source than having to ship them there.”
While investors may think that the company is looking for an unusual compound to begin the company, in fact, Planetary Resources is looking for one of the most basic. Said Lewicki, “Our first resource that we are interested in is one that everyone is familiar with, and one that everyone needs, and one that we are all made of – water. Water is relatively rare in space and it is very expensive to put there. To put one liter of water into space costs the same as one kilogram of platinum does here on Earth, about $60,000 dollars.”
Arkyd Series 200 - Interceptor, a low cost asteroid mission that enables accelerated exploration
Lewicki believes that they can access water in asteroids. He said, “If we can go to a carbonaceous asteroid and get it from the source, that is a resource opportunity that we think will open up a market and a resource in space. We would like to bring resource to the simplest point of need, whether that is to the moon or Mars. All of these things, it is like having a gas station on the side of the road. It is the first thing you need to support infrastructure. That is exactly what we’d like to do.”
Carbonaceous asteroids provide the ideal option for the company. Said Lewicki, “Our targets are carbonaceous asteroids, the oldest in the galaxy. They are made up of a lot of carbon and other elements. Hydrogen and oxygen not only support life but are also the most effective fuel. Water is also a very excellent radiation shield. To be able to surround yourself in water is a very safe place to be for future space explorers.”
Lewicki believes that it would be more cost-effective to mine minerals in space for space usage rather than trying to bring them to space from Earth. He said, “If you were to think about a destination like Mars, it is about having the materials you need to get there. We can bring in construction materials and oxygen from asteroids. Maybe even from asteroids that are around Mars right now.”
Arkyd Series 300 - Rendezvous Prospector
Characterizing an asteroid’s value and preparing for mining operations
Comets are also an option for the company. Said Lewicki, “Comets are much like asteroids, but they have a different history. The tail is where the volatiles are. As they get close to the sun, the volatiles make the tail. Many scientists think that asteroids are burned out comets. The Earth and the solar system is a very dynamic area.”
Another potential area for the company would be to bring rare elements back to Earth that are more plentiful in space. Said Lewicki, “If we brought elements back to the Earth, we would be looking at the platinum groups. On asteroids you are looking at 100 grams to 200 grams per ton. They might be valuable enough to bring back to earth to help with microelectronics.” In particular, there is one metal that Lewicki would like to see brought back to Earth. He said, “We’d like to see the platinum group metals brought back. Consider the abundance that is available in space. While the Earth does have plenty of resources, it is getting more expensive to get those out of the ground. Our biggest challenge is demonstrating to people that this ‘science fiction’ like idea is coming to fruition.”
Asteroid Mining - Redefining “natural resources” for the benefit of humanity
Technology has a large part to play in the ability to mine in space. Said Lewicki, “Fifteen years ago, the device I have in my pocket could only be done by a supercomputer. We are living in extremely exciting times. From an investment standpoint, we are early movers in this space. We are setting up how to run a business in this space. We are out to try to find the best asteroids. We have collaborations with NASA and other parts of the government and internationally and have the support of the Bechtel Corporation and Larry Page and Ross Perot, Jr. We think the asteroids are a great source of water. We are at a mining conference and we want to expand the economic share of humanity outside of Earth. We are really here to extend the mining industry beyond Earth.”
http://www.planetaryresources.com/
Planetary Resources, Inc
Bellevue, Washington
98005
Mailing Address:
Planetary Resources,
Inc.
93 S Jackson St #50680
Seattle, Washington 98104-2818
main +1 425-336-2448 +1 425-336-2448
email resources@planetaryresources.com
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