Asteroid Miners Will Launch World’s First Crowdfunded Space Telescope

Planetary Resources – the people behind the latterly announced asteroid - mining speculation – has just announced a brand new undertaking : the Earth ’s first crowdfunded space telescope , to be finance with a just - launched Kickstarter campaign .

The party ’s principal goal has always been , and stay , asteroid excavation ; and to that end , it ’s developing a class of asteroid - surveying place telescopes it visit ARKYD . But Planetary Resources articulate it need to engage in another of its passions : make infinite geographic expedition approachable to everyone . How ? By selling the public its very own ARKYD . From the ebullient announcement post on the fellowship ’s website earlier this afternoon ( emphasis theirs ):

The ARKYD is a technologically advanced , orbiting space telescope that will be control by YOU , the crowd , through your pledges and residential district affaire ! you’re able to even direct your telescope time to non - profit science centre and universities for purpose in your community !

Just think about the true wallop of this endeavour for a second . Together we can put engineering that be X of millions of dollars into the hands of students , scientist and a fresh multiplication of explorers , who will use it in ways we ca n’t even sound yet !

At Planetary Resources , our master focus is mining asteroid , and we ’re push the boundaries of what is possible by vertically integrating and apply innovations from consumer - based manufacture . It ’s our goal to lose weight the cost of infinite observatories many times over , allowing anyone to get at them for their own enjoyment . We want to empower the crowd to solve the bad problem of our sentence — and this is the first step to wee-wee that a reality .

In the last few hours , Planetary Resourceshas handle to erect over $ 129,000 of its $ 1,000,000 goal . With more than a month left to go , we reckon it ’s safe to call this Kickstarter a succeeder . Meanwhile , the campaign is attracting a lot of positive tending . Bad Astronomer Phil Plait hasa great overview of the project ’s exploratory and educational potentialand its viability as a publically funded science mission ( Plait says his personal opinion is that the Kickstarter is ” a legit effort ” ) . Also on board with the ARKYD is Bill Nye . Here , The Science Guy himself joins Planetary Resources CEO Peter Diamandis in singing the task ’s kudos :

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