Space mining start-up planned

2012-04-21 14:39

San Francisco - A start-up evidently devoted to mining asteroids for metals is to make its public debut on Tuesday in the US northwest city of Seattle, seeking to redefine the term "natural resources."

X Prize founder Peter Diamandis and a former Nasa astronaut are slated to unveil Planetary Resources, which boasts an impressive list of backers including Google co-founder Larry Page and famed film-maker James Cameron.

"The company will overlay two critical sectors - space exploration and natural resources - to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP," Planetary Resources said in a brief release announcing the Tuesday press event in the Pacific Northwest city.

"This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources.'"

- AFP