Share this article
Ethereum Studio ConsenSys Just Bought an Asteroid Mining Company
ConsenSys has just acquired an asteroid mining startup called Planetary Resources.
By Nikhilesh De
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:33 a.m. Published Nov 1, 2018, 6:00 a.m.
ConsenSys, the ethereum-focused venture studio, has just acquired Planetary Resources, a space venture hoping to mine asteroids.
Planetary Resources announced Wednesday that ConsenSys conducted an asset-purchase transaction, taking over the firm, with president and CEO Chris Lewicki and general counsel Brian Israel joining the ethereum-focused startup as a result. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The company, formed in 2012, was started with the goal of mining asteroids for resources.
To date, it has launched a pair of satellites into Earth orbit, including a successful test of a an infrared imager on its Arkyd-6 craft. However, the company has had financial difficulties after failing to secure a new round of funding this past June, according to Geekwire.
On Wednesday, ConsenSys founder Joe Lubin said he admired Planetary Resources due to its record and talent. The acquisition will now help ConsenSys conduct its space initiatives, he said, adding:
"Bringing deep space capabilities into the ConsenSys ecosystem reflects our belief in the potential for Ethereum to help humanity craft new societal rule systems through automated trust and guaranteed execution. And it reflects our belief in democratizing and decentralizing space endeavors to unite our species and unlock untapped human potential."
In a statement, Lewicki said he was "proud of our team's extraordinary accomplishments," and thanked the company's past supporters. Going forward, Planetary Resources will continue its work "to expand humanity's economic sphere of influence into the solar system."
"Over the course of nearly a decade, Planetary Resources has simultaneously pioneered technology, business, law and policy, and brought the promise of space resources irreversibly closer to humankind's grasp," he added.
Asteroid image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
XRP Faces Downside Risk as Social Sentiment Turns Wildly Negative
The turn in crowd mood comes after a two-month slide of roughly 31%, leaving the token vulnerable to further downside if risk appetite weakens across majors.
What to know:
- XRP's price approached the $2 mark as social sentiment around the token turned sharply negative, according to Santiment data.
- The token has experienced a 31% decline over two months, making it vulnerable to further losses if market risk appetite weakens.
- Santiment's sentiment model indicates XRP is in a 'fear zone,' where negative commentary significantly outweighs positive talk, potentially influencing market positioning.
Top Stories
