Planetary Resources, Inc., the asteroid mining company, announced today that it has secured US$21.1 million in Series A funding. The capital will be used to deploy and operate Ceres, an advanced Earth observation business that features the first commercial infrared and hyperspectral sensor platform to better understand and manage humanity’s natural resources. The funding was led by Bryan Johnson and the OS FUND; and joined by Idea Bulb Ventures; Tencant; Vast Ventures; Grishin Robotics; Conversion Capital; The Seraph Group; Space Angels Network, a syndication of investors from Angel.co; and Larry Page. Earth observation will be another aspect of Planetary Resources’ operations in addition to prospecting and mining asteroids.
Conceived from the company’s vision for the exploration and utilization of asteroid resources, Ceres will leverage Planetary Resources’ Arkyd spacecraft to deliver affordable, on-demand Earth intelligence of our natural resources on any spot on the planet. While typical satellite imagery provides only a picture, Ceres will provide actionable data with higher spectral resolutions – going beyond what the human eye can see – by measuring thermographic properties and detecting the composition of materials on Earth’s surface. The midwave-infrared sensor is the first ever commercial capability from space to offer thermographic mapping and night-imaging, and the hyperspectral sensor includes an unprecedented 40 color bands in the visible to near-infrared spectrum.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7847251-planetary-resources-ceres/
Marking winter solstice, the longest night of the year, SC Johnson relit its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Research Tower, which will soon open for public tours for the first time in its history. The historic tower, open from 1950 to 1982, served as the creative inspiration and birthplace for the company’s leading brands and products including Raid®, Glade®, OFF!® and Pledge®.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64677-sc-johnson-illuminates-historic-frank-lloyd-wright-research-tower
Ahead of World Mental Health Day, today sees the publication of the Mental Health Integration Index, a new research initiative commissioned by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and undertaken by the Economist Intelligence Unit.1 The research explores the challenges of integrating Europeans with mental illness into society and employment, within the European Union’s 28 Member States, plus Norway and Switzerland. Countries have been ranked according to their degree of commitment to support those living with mental illness; the findings demonstrate that while there are many examples of good practice across Europe, the whole region has a long way to go before people with mental illness are adequately supported and truly integrated into their communities.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/72762557-janssen-europe-mental-health-index/
