Our primary mission is to develop low-cost robotic spacecraft to explore and mine resource-rich asteroids within our reach. The first step to making this possible is the launching a fleet of ARKYD spacecraft to identify asteroids that are ripe for further exploration. This same capability has numerous other potential applications in education and research. The goals that we want to achieve with this Kickstarter mission are four-fold:

• To give students access to space capabilities — Whether studying planets in a 5th grade class or writing a graduate thesis, students of all ages will have the ability to direct the telescope and explore what interests them! We’re planning some exciting new educational opportunities just for K-12 educational programs. 
• To support important research and discovery— There are thousands of institutions and researchers in need for greater access to in-orbit space observatories. The ARKYD will provide a new, low-cost resource to help observe distant galaxies, search for alien planets, and monitor the skies for potentially dangerous asteroids. Researchers at MIT, the University of Washington, and across the globe have shown interest in using the ARKYD to further their important research. 
• To build excitement about space and all of its potential— The ARKYD is designed to be a fun and interactive experience that is accessible to anyone. This kind of direct access to a satellite is unprecedented. Our backers will be the first people in history to control a public space telescope! 
• To give YOU a say— What makes this mission unique is that we’re putting control of the telescope in YOUR hands. You’ll get the opportunity to help decide which science centers and museums are the beneficiaries of ARKYD telescope time, what photos to take, and more. We’re putting YOU in control! By pledging toward this mission, you’ll receive access to our website and mobile apps allowing you to follow along with the progress of the satellite, sneak peaks at photos and videos, and get voting access to make your voice heard in the future direction of the satellite! 

The engineering and development of the telescope itself is being covered by Planetary Resources, however, this satellite is very different from those that we intend to launch for the purposes of locating asteroids. We're investing millions of dollars in research and development to develop an ARKYD with advanced capabilities like photographing deep space and searching for asteroids.  The engineering and technological needs for doing each of those jobs are quite different.

Here's where we need YOUR help: The proceeds from this campaign will go to several different areas: 1) To actually launch the satellite into space. 2) To support the spacecraft over its lifetime — including manpower to facilitate the photos, "selfies", monitoring the spacecraft and training the staff at the chosen science center that will take over control. 3) To create an easy-to-use Control Interface that will allow ANYONE to access and control the satellite. 4) To fund the creation of an incredible, interactive educational experience that can be used by schools anywhere, to enable students to experience space in a way that's never been possible.

At its core, the ARKYD is a space telescope. The large, main optic is designed to take high-resolution photos of objects in space. What truly sets it apart is that we’ve engineered the spacecraft with an external screen and a camera arm, allowing us to take pictures of the ARKYD as it orbits Earth.

Your photo (or graphic!) will be displayed on the satellite’s external screen overlooking Earth. We will then take a picture from our camera arm and send the image back to you. This is what we are calling a “Space Selfie”. Be the first of your friends to claim bragging rights on Facebook. Send a picture of your family to use on your next holiday card and be as creative as you want! All of the Space Selfies can be displayed on our community page online (if you want).

Seeing a picture of yourself or your loved ones above our planet can change our awareness of this fragile shell nourishing all life on Earth. There are no borders visible from space, and the “Space Selfie” can provide a small taste of the “Overview Effect” (The psychological phenomenon experienced by astronauts who spend time above the Earth and feel the imperative to protect our planet).

Search for potentially dangerous asteroids or study distant galaxies like never before. Some photographic examples of the ARKYD's capabilities include: objects in our solar system, such as Jupiter and its moons, and distant phenomena, such as the Crab Nebula. The ARKYD will also be able to perform photometric applications, like determining the spin rate of an asteroid. Don’t know what object in space you’d want to take a picture of? Check out Google Sky to view some of the images of space we, as a species, already have. Here are some other examples of observations that will be possible with the ARKYD’s main optic:

3) Use Your Telescope Time to Support Important Science Education 

For us, an important part of this mission is educating the next generation. You can use your telescope time to allow students to learn about the cosmos, or help researchers conduct important scientific inquiry. We’ll also be working with a science center or museum to create a special educational curriculum AND an interactive, ARKYD-themed exhibit is also currently underway. We've long wanted to create an exciting, immersive educational experience that will help schools around the world take advantage of this new technology. Imagine being able to walk into an exhibit and actually control a space telescope as it travels above us at five miles per second!

Space Sciences and Engineering are two of the most challenging subjects to teach in primary education. Students rarely get to work on any real science, and are instead stuck with theory that is difficult for many to grasp. The ARKYD brings these subjects directly into the classroom, giving students hands-on experience with a space telescope. They will learn how it is launched and how it works. Even more, they will get to use it to make their own space observations.

The details of the Curriculum and the Exhibit are being created as we speak. Below you'll find a list of educational elements that we hope to make a reality for schools around the world:

• An immersive supplement to curriculum in physics, radio science and communications
• Space Selfies and Space Observations from the main optic, controlled by educators
• Access to an educational video series taught by engineers at Planetary Resources
• Mission badges
• A detailed poster of the ARKYD and 3D model of the spacecraft as a teaching aid
• and more...

Advances in technology have allowed us to make the spacecraft smaller, more efficient and cheaper than ever before. These advancements also allow us to pack more computing and optical power into a smaller package.

Planetary Resources’ mission is clear: we want to mine asteroids by developing low-cost robotic spacecraft to explore the thousands of resource-rich asteroids within our reach. We will learn everything we can about them, then develop the most efficient capabilities to deliver these resources. Asteroid mining may sound like fiction, but it’s just science.

We couldn't accomplish these goals without a world-class team. Members of our engineering team have helped build every recent US lander sent to Mars including Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity. To learn more about our team, please watch this video:

We are thankful to have many supporters from the educational, academic, and space advocacy communities. Supporters include The Museum of Flight, The Planetary Society, and Virgin Galactic in this ambitious venture to help boost space education and interest. The support and guidance that we've received for this mission is nothing short of incredible! We’re extremely grateful to all of our supporters who are helping to make this dream a reality!

• The Museum of Flight — The goal of The Museum of Flight is to be the foremost educational air and space museum in the world. They exist to acquire, preserve, and exhibit historically significant air and space artifacts, which provide a foundation for scholarly research, and lifelong learning programs that inspire an interest in and understanding of science, technology, and the humanities. currently working with The Museum of Flight as a potential location to build portions of the ARKYD itself  allowing the public the chance to watch as the telescope is transformed into a real, functioning satellite, ready to launch into space. The Museum of Flight and other world-class science centers will have the opportunity to be a beneficiary of time on the ARKYD, to be controlled by visitors like you!

• The Planetary Society— The largest non-governmental space advocacy group - dedicated to inspiring YOU to get excited about space and all of its potential. A vital advocate for our future in space, they sponsor projects designed to seed innovative space technologies and nurture creative young minds. We’re extremely happy to have their support.

• Virgin Galactic— Virgin Galactic is our current satellite launch provider. Virgin is developing the LauncherOne to deliver small satellites to low-earth orbit in a reliable fashion, with the capability to fly dozens of times per year. LauncherOne leverages their work in the area of commercial human spaceflight, and will provide reliable, regular launch opportunities for Planetary Resources.