Planetary Resources, the startup that is being backed by Google’s Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and filmmaker James Cameron, has got designs on outer space. Specifically, mining asteroids for resources though exact specifics have been veiled in secrecy for the most part since news broke on the company last week.
University of Arizona planetary-science professor John S. Lewis, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, claims that the company is currently looking for engineering and planning experts as well as looking for private companies to bid on hefting a ship into space. Lewis, author of the book Mining the Sky, says that he is one of the startup’s advisers.
Planetary Resources will apparently make their plans clear at a press conference today. The plans will reportedly entail sending an unmanned craft to a (probably near-earth) asteroid to mine for resources and either expand space exploration or return the mined material to Earth.
Source: Business Insider and WSJ Image: NASA