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Deep Space Industries Forms to Mine Asteroids

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 16:12

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(Before It's News)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A new commercial spaceflight company unveiled its plans today to mine asteroids. At the Santa Monica Museum of Flying, the group of entrepreneurs laid out their vision for a viable business case mining asteroids. Co-founder Rick Tumlinson, CEO David Gump, author Steven Covey and other members of the team gave presentations to the assembled press and interested parties.

“This is the first commercial campaign to explore the small asteroids that pass by Earth,” said Deep Space Chairman Rick Tumlinson (who signed up the world’s first space tourist, led the team that took over the Mir space station, was a Founding Trustee of the X Prize, and Founded Orbital Outfitters, the world’s first commercial space suit company.) “Using low cost technologies, and combining the legacy of our space program with the innovation of today’s young high tech geniuses, we will do things that would have been impossible just a few years ago.”

The company will send a fleet of asteroid-prospecting spacecraft, dubbed Firefly, out into the solar system to hunt for resources to accelerate space development. These spacecraft will utilize low-cost cubesat components and get discounted delivery to space by ride-sharing on the launch of larger communications satellites. 

Other components of the business plan are larger spacecraft called DragonFlies which will return asteroid samples to Earth and a 3-D printer called the “MicroGravity Foundry” that is capable of producing materials of heretofore impossible strength.

Senior leaders at NASA have been briefed on DSI’s technologies, which would make eventual crewed Mars expeditions less expensive through the use of asteroid-derived propellant.

For more information on Deep Space Industries visit their web site at: http://deepspaceindustries.com