By AMIR EFRATI
The riddle of the space asteroid start-up has been solved.
On Tuesday, Planetary Resources Inc., a company whose goals have been shrouded in secrecy, will outline a plan to convince governments that the technology exists to snare an asteroid and pursue space mining in the near future.
The company hopes to pressure the U.S. and other governments to lasso an asteroid and put it into a lunar orbit, setting up a competition to have private space companies do the mining, said John S. Lewis, a University of Arizona planetary-science professor who said he is an adviser to Planetary.
The approach faces budget and political challenges, both in the U.S. and overseas. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been pulling back from unmanned missions amid budget cuts by Congress. Money from any government for such an ambitious robotic proposal that is rife with technical questions and uncertainties is likely to be difficult.
Read the rest here.
If you enjoy the content at iBankCoin, please follow us on Twitter
