US Company Plans to Mine Asteroids

[stardust47]

http://news.sky.com/story/1041609/us-com...for-metals

A US firm has unveiled plans to send a fleet of spacecraft into the solar system to mine asteroids for metals and other materials.

"Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford permanent space development," said David Gump, chief executive of Deep Space Industries.

He said that more than 900 new asteroids that pass near our planet are discovered each year.

"In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-space industries of this century. That is our strategy."

As a first step, the company plans to send "asteroid-prospecting spacecraft" into the solar system, with the first – 25kg FireFlies - to be launched in 2015 on journeys of two to six months.

They will be followed from 2016 by heavier DragonFlies that will go on two to four year missions and bring back samples.

Deep Space Industries? I think there's a missed opportunity there...

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[Shintaz]

Oh yes, earth resources are depleting, lets mine the space!


I call dibs on IMG faction.

[meoshi]

I call GMG I called it you all seen it.

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[sindroms]

I call dibs on the pirate faction that will pirate the two above.

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[meoshi]

Time to militarize the GMG.

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[Shintaz]

Already at it, reconstructing mining lasers into anti-matter lasers.Ripping apart any material known.


Also takes money to actually afford a ship to do so.Pirating I mean.I will gladly take you in as a slave untill you mine enough to afford one.

[Thunderer]

I wonder how will that be cost effective, since only the fuel needed to lift those ships out of the atmosphere is not cheap, while the ships will be able to bring much less ore than is the amount of fuel they have spent. Not to mention all those empty fuel tanks they'll throw away when they exit the atmosphere.

Or maybe this...

FireFlies

Edit: Ooooh, I see now. They actually need the ore to build satellites in space, instead of spending fuel and materials to dispatch them from Earth. The hell I didn't read it first...

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[ProwlerPC]

It's a natural step. First the Gov't went out into space, collected data, assessed risks, tested out projected expenses etc... Now that there is enough data for investors to make a business plan of projected expense, projected profits and can quantify the risks the private sector is moving in. No different then in history here on the planet.

ie: it's no longer a burden for tax payers, we moved to the next step.

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[Lythrilux]

Shotgun being the aliens they find: S'damon

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[Veygaar]

I'll be the silent engager

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Veygaar for Admin Moderator 2013!!!