Deep Space Industries

Last updated
Deep Space Industries
Industry Space technology
Space exploration
FoundedJanuary 22, 2013
Founder Rick N. Tumlinson
Daniel Faber [1]
David Gump [1]
Kirby Ikin [1]
John C. Mankins [1]
Stephen Covey [1]
Mark Sonter [1]
Christopher Cassell [1]
James Luebke [1]
Bryan Versteeg [1]
James Wolff [1]
Defunct1 January 2019  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Headquarters
San Jose, California, United States
Key people
Bill Miller, CEO [2]
Grant Bonin, CTO [3]
Sagi Kfir, General Counsel [1]
ProductsDeep Space Xplorer, Comet
Website www.deepspaceindustries.com
Footnotes /references
[4] [5] [6] [7]

Deep Space Industries, or DSI, [8] was an American private ly-held company operating in the space technology and space exploration sectors. It was acquired on January 1, 2019 by Bradford Space. [9]

Contents

The company was developing and building spacecraft technology that would have allowed private companies and government agencies to access destinations throughout the Solar System. DSI's goal was to access to deep space and substantially lower the cost of doing so.

History

DSI was formally announced on January 22, 2013. [7] DSI spent 3-½ years investigating the feasibility of space resource utilization. In late 2015, DSI received venture funding [10] to begin the development of a propulsion system and spacecraft capable of traveling from low Earth orbit (LEO) to deep space on its own.

As of 2013, the company CEO was David Gump, previously of Transformational Space Corporation and Astrobotic Technology. Chairman Rick N. Tumlinson was a founder of the Space Frontier Foundation, among other organizations in the field of space exploration. [4]

In December 2014, Daniel Faber became the CEO. [11] In January 2017 DSI named Bill Miller as Chief Executive Officer. Miller was a startup strategist. [12]

In 2019 the company was acquired [13] by Bradford Space, a manufacturer of spaceflight components & systems.

Spacecraft and technologies

As of June 2018, Deep Space Industries was working on a series of technologies that aimed to lower the cost of access to high Earth orbits and deep space for private companies and government agencies.

Xplorer was a spacecraft concept designed to use its own propulsion system to travel from low Earth orbit (LEO) to an Earth departure trajectory or higher Earth orbits such as geostationary orbit (GEO). [14] Xplorer was to be built to enable exploration and high delta-V applications within low Earth orbits, geosynchronous orbit, near-Earth asteroids, and deep space destinations such as Lunar orbits, Venus, or Mars.

Xplorer was planned to give a 10 kg payload a delta-V capability of approximately 5 km/s, with greater payload masses possible at lower delta-V requirements. Xplorer was planned to be capable of launching on a variety of commercial rideshares to low Earth orbit, and to decouple launch timing from orbit raising and Earth departure maneuvers.

Meteor was a non-toxic rocket thruster using propellants capable of being synthesized from in-space resources. It was designed & prototyped as the propulsive core of the Xplorer vehicle. [15]

Comet is a launch-safe electrothermal propulsion system designed for orbit raising, life extension, and de-orbit. It uses water as a propellant, and is scalable from CubeSats to micro-satellites, with a flexible interface suitable for a wide range of spacecraft. Several comet systems were sold to various customers and flew as part of various satellites built for HawkEye 360, [16] Astro Digital, [17] and Capella Space; [18] production is ongoing in Luxembourg under new ownership. [19]

Criticism

External audio
Tethered asteroid.png
Nuvola apps arts.svg “Episode 206: Is Space the Place? Trying to Save Humanity by Mining Asteroids”, Science History Institute

The announcement of DSI was met with both praise and criticism. Several unnamed scientists questioned whether cost-effective asteroid mining could even be accomplished given competition in Earth terrestrial markets and the high cost of returning high-value minerals to Earth. [5] However, DSI responded to these statements by stating that the majority of the materials mined — principally water — would be destined for use in space, thus avoiding the enormous fuel costs of repeatedly returning to and escaping from Earth's gravitational field, and additionally, that servicing communications satellite constellations could earn the company $5 to 8 million per month. [6]

Whether Deep Space Industries would be competing in similar services as Planetary Resources was also questioned. In particular, Planetary Resources did not release information on their intentions for processing, power generation, or in-space manufacturing hardware and equipment. [7] [20]

Deep Space Industries did not announce its spacecraft manufacturing partnerships for the FireFly 1. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Deep Space 1</i> NASA flyby mission to asteroid Braille and Comet Borrelly (1998–2001)

Deep Space 1 (DS1) was a NASA technology demonstration spacecraft which flew by an asteroid and a comet. It was part of the New Millennium Program, dedicated to testing advanced technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interplanetary spaceflight</span> Crewed or uncrewed travel between stars or planets

Interplanetary spaceflight or interplanetary travel is the crewed or uncrewed travel between stars and planets, usually within a single planetary system. In practice, spaceflights of this type are confined to travel between the planets of the Solar System. Uncrewed space probes have flown to all the observed planets in the Solar System as well as to dwarf planets Pluto and Ceres, and several asteroids. Orbiters and landers return more information than fly-by missions. Crewed flights have landed on the Moon and have been planned, from time to time, for Mars, Venus and Mercury. While many scientists appreciate the knowledge value that uncrewed flights provide, the value of crewed missions is more controversial. Science fiction writers propose a number of benefits, including the mining of asteroids, access to solar power, and room for colonization in the event of an Earth catastrophe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Near-Earth object</span> Small Solar System body with an orbit that can bring it close to Earth

A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance. This definition applies to the object's orbit around the Sun, rather than its current position, thus an object with such an orbit is considered an NEO even at times when it is far from making a close approach of Earth. If an NEO's orbit crosses the Earth's orbit, and the object is larger than 140 meters (460 ft) across, it is considered a potentially hazardous object (PHO). Most known PHOs and NEOs are asteroids, but about 0.35% are comets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid impact avoidance</span> Methods to prevent destructive asteroid hits

Asteroid impact avoidance encompasses the methods by which near-Earth objects (NEO) on a potential collision course with Earth could be diverted away, preventing destructive impact events. An impact by a sufficiently large asteroid or other NEOs would cause, depending on its impact location, massive tsunamis or multiple firestorms, and an impact winter caused by the sunlight-blocking effect of large quantities of pulverized rock dust and other debris placed into the stratosphere. A collision 66 million years ago between the Earth and an object approximately 10 kilometers wide is thought to have produced the Chicxulub crater and triggered the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that is understood by the scientific community to have caused the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discovery Program</span> Ongoing solar system exploration program by NASA, mission budgets up to $830 M

The Discovery Program is a series of Solar System exploration missions funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Planetary Missions Program Office. The cost of each mission is capped at a lower level than missions from NASA's New Frontiers or Flagship Programs. As a result, Discovery missions tend to be more focused on a specific scientific goal rather than serving a general purpose.

New Millennium Program (NMP) was a NASA project with focus on engineering validation of new technologies for space applications. Funding for the program was eliminated from the FY2009 budget by the 110th United States Congress, effectively leading to its cancellation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid mining</span> Exploitation of raw materials from asteroids

Asteroid mining is the hypothetical extraction of materials from asteroids and other minor planets, including near-Earth objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts</span> NASA program

The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is a NASA program for development of far reaching, long term advanced concepts by "creating breakthroughs, radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts". The program operated under the name NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts from 1998 until 2007, and was reestablished in 2011 under the name NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts and continues to the present. The NIAC program funds work on revolutionary aeronautics and space concepts that can dramatically impact how NASA develops and conducts its missions.

Asteroid capture is an orbital insertion of an asteroid around a larger planetary body. When asteroids, small rocky bodies in space, are captured, they become natural satellites, specifically either an irregular moon if permanently captured, or a temporary satellite.

Planetary Resources, Inc., formerly known as Arkyd Astronautics, was an American company that was formed on 1 January 2009, and reorganized and renamed in 2012. Its stated goal was to "expand Earth's natural resource base" by developing and deploying the technologies for asteroid mining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NEO Surveyor</span> Space-based infrared telescope

NEO Surveyor, formerly called Near-Earth Object Camera (NEOCam), then NEO Surveillance Mission, is a planned space-based infrared telescope designed to survey the Solar System for potentially hazardous asteroids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid Redirect Mission</span> 2013–2017 proposed NASA space mission

The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), also known as the Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization (ARU) mission and the Asteroid Initiative, was a space mission proposed by NASA in 2013; the mission was later cancelled. The Asteroid Retrieval Robotic Mission (ARRM) spacecraft would rendezvous with a large near-Earth asteroid and use robotic arms with anchoring grippers to retrieve a 4-meter boulder from the asteroid.

Castalia is a proposed mission concept for a robotic spacecraft to explore the main-belt comet 7968 Elst–Pizarro and make the first in situ measurements of water in the asteroid belt, and thus, help solve the mystery of the origin of Earth's water. The lead is Colin Snodgrass, from The Open University in UK.

The World Is Not Enough (WINE) is a US project developing a refuelable steam engine system for spacecraft propulsion. WINE developed a method of extracting volatiles from ice, ice-rich regolith, and hydrated soils and uses it as steam propulsion which allows the spacecraft to refuel multiple times and have an extraordinary long service lifetime. This would allow a single spacecraft to visit multiple asteroids, comets or several landing locations at an icy world such as the Moon, Mars, Pluto, Enceladus, Ganymede, Europa, etc.

ASTER is a planned space mission under development by the Brazilian Space Agency that will launch a spacecraft to orbit a near-Earth object known as (153591) 2001 SN263, a triple asteroid system. The launch is scheduled for 2025, with a rendezvous in 2024/2027.

Tianwen-2 is a planned Chinese asteroid sample return and comet exploration mission that is currently under development. Tianwen-2 was originally known as ZhengHe.

AstroForge is an aerospace company based in Huntington Beach, California, and was founded by Matthew Gialich and Jose Acain on January 10, 2022. The company is working on developing asteroid mining technologies, aiming to become the first commercial entity to do so. As of 2024, no commercial asteroid mining efforts have been successful, although several government-led missions have successfully returned asteroid samples.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Company Team". Deep Space Industries. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  2. ↑ "Bill Miller, Veteran Start-Up Strategist, Joins DSI as Chief Executive Officer". Deep Space Industries. 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  3. ↑ "Respected Nanosat Leader Joins Asteroid Mining Team - Deep Space Industries". Deep Space Industries. 2015-09-08. Archived from the original on 2017-09-08.
  4. 1 2 Soper, Taylor (January 22, 2013). "Deep Space Industries entering asteroid-mining world, creates competition for Planetary Resources". GeekWire: Dispatches from the Digital Frontier. GeekWire. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Rincon, Paul (January 22, 2013). "New venture 'to mine asteroids'". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Commercial Asteroid Hunters announce plans for new Robotic Exploration Fleet" (Press release). Deep Space Industries. January 22, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Wall, Mike (January 22, 2013). "Asteroid-Mining Project Aims for Deep-Space Colonies". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ Létourneau, Alex (2013-01-25). "Asteroid Mining Becoming More Of A Reality". Forbes.com . Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  9. ↑ "Deep Space Industries acquired by Bradford Space". 2 January 2019.
  10. ↑ "Metatron Global to invest in Deep Space Industries to advance asteroid mining mission – Aerospace Technology". Aerospace Technology. 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  11. ↑ Space Industries CEO Daniel Faber To Lead Space Resources Company, ABN Newswire. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  12. ↑ William Miller, Chief Executive Officer at Deep Space Industries
  13. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2019-01-02). "Deep Space Industries acquired by Bradford Space". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  14. ↑ "Xplorer | Deep Space Industries". 2018-03-31. Archived from the original on 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  15. ↑ "Meteor | Deep Space Industries". 2018-06-03. Archived from the original on 2018-06-03. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  16. ↑ "Hawk A, B, C (Hawkeye Pathfinder)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  17. ↑ SpaceRef (2018-03-13). "Deep Space Industries to provide Comet satellite propulsion for Astro Digital". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  18. ↑ Werner, Debra (2019-08-28). "Water propulsion technologies picking up steam". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  19. ↑ Werner, Debra (2021-09-07). "Bradford's Comet production moves to Luxembourg". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  20. 1 2 Boyle, Alan (January 22, 2012). "Deep Space Industries' lofty asteroid ambitions face high financial hurdles". Cosmic Log. National Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.