Timeline of space mining
On April 24, 2012 a plan was announced by billionaire entrepreneurs to mine asteroids for their resources. The company is called Planetary Resources and its founders include aerospace entrepreneurs Eric Anderson and Peter Diamandis. Advisers include film director and explorer James Cameron and investors include Google's chief executive Larry Page and its executive chairman Eric Schmidt. They also plan to create a fuel depot in space by 2020 by using water from asteroids, splitting it to liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Another similar venture, called Deep Space Industries, was started in 2013 by David Gump, who had founded other space companies. At the time, the company hoped to begin prospecting for asteroids suitable for mining by 2015 and by 2016 return asteroid samples to Earth. Deep Space Industries planned to begin mining asteroids by 2023.
Several organizations have said they are working on asteroid mining, including:
| Organisation | Type | Founding date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planetoid Mines Corporation | Private company | ||
| NEO Resource Atlas (NEORA) | Private company | ||
| Deep Space Industries | Private company | 2013-01-22 | It is acquired on January 1, 2019 by Bradford Space. |
| Planetary Resources | Private company | 2009-01-01 | |
| Moon Express | Private company | 2010 | |
| Kleos Space | Private company | ||
| TransAstra | Private company | ||
| Aten Engineering | Private company | ||
| Air Space and Beyond (ASB) | Private company | ||
| OffWorld | Private company | ||
| Asteroid Mining Corporation Ltd. UK[1] | Private company |
References
- ↑ "Welcome - Asteroid Mining Corporation". Asteroid Mining Corporation. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
