Key tests for Skylon spaceplane project. 27 April 2012Last updated at 06:52 ET The pre-cooler demonstration is a major step in proving the Skylon concept UK engineers have begun critical tests on a new engine technology designed to lift a spaceplane into orbit.
The proposed Skylon vehicle would operate like an airliner, taking off and landing at a conventional runway. Its major innovation is the Sabre engine, which can breathe air like a jet at lower speeds but switch to a rocket mode in the high atmosphere. Reaction Engines Limited (REL) believes the test campaign will prove the readiness of Sabre's key elements. This being so, the firm would then approach investors to raise the £250m needed to take the project into the final design phase. "We intend to go to the Farnborough International Air Show in July with a clear message," explained REL managing director Alan Bond. "The message is that Britain has the next step beyond the jet engine; that we can reduce the world to four hours - the maximum time it would take to go anywhere.
Mining asteroids for gold and platinum. Plans for asteroid mining emerge. 24 April 2012Last updated at 07:30 ET The plan is to tap raw resources from asteroids that pass near Earth Details have been emerging of the plan by billionaire entrepreneurs to mine asteroids for their resources.
The multi-million-dollar plan would use robotic spacecraft to squeeze chemical components of fuel and minerals such as platinum and gold out of the rocks. The founders include film director and explorer James Cameron as well as Google's chief executive Larry Page and its executive chairman Eric Schmidt. They even aim to create a fuel depot in space by 2020. Skybox Imaging Raises $70M To Launch Two High-Res Imaging Microsatellites. Skybox Imaging just closed a massive $70M Series C round led by Canaan Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.
Michael Arrington’s CrunchFund got in on the action as well. The new investors join Khosla Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners and brings Skybox Imaging’s total amount raised to $91 million. The latest round of financing will allow Skybox to launch its first two high-resolution imaging microsatellites, dubbed SkyStat-1 and SkyStat-2. Eventually other microsatellites will join these two as Skybox surrounds the Earth with imaging satellites.
It’s the company’s goal to provide high-resolution imagery of any spot on earth multiple times per day. The additional funds will also help Skybox hire new talent. “We will also use this capital to expand strategic alliances, position Skybox for initial commercial operations, and to accelerate the development path towards the full constellation of microsatellites,” said Skybox CEO Tom Ingersoll in a statement released to TechCrunch.