The Arkyd-6 satellite. Source: Planetary Resources

Asteroid-mining company Planetary Resources of Redmond, Wash., announced the successful launch of the Arkyd-6, composed of six CubeSat units and containing a demonstration of technology designed to detect water resources in space. The team has already begun to receive telemetry from the spacecraft, and the data collected will guide development of the Arkyd-301, Planetary Resources’ next spacecraft platform and the beginning of the company’s space resource exploration program.

Engineers modified commercial hardware during the design of Arkyd-6, allowing for the possibility of deep-space missions at greatly reduced costs.

Of 17 elements that will be tested during Arkyd-6’s mission, one of the most crucial technologies is the onboard mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imager. The technical team qualified a commercial sensor to collect pixel-level data and integrated custom optics, creating the world’s first commercial MWIR instrument to be used in space. Based on the findings from this initial flight, the company will further develop this sensor technology into the most advanced water resource detection hardware available, which will be incorporated into Arkyd-301.

The Arkyd-6 satellite is expected to capture MWIR images of targets on Earth’s surface, including agricultural land, resource exploration regions and infrastructure for mining and energy. It will also provide the opportunity to perform specific celestial observations from a low Earth orbit vantage point.

Arkyd-6 will be testing additional technologies such as power generation, attitude determination, instrument operation and two-way communication. Although the spacecraft is fully autonomous and able to execute all functions independently, it will continue to communicate with Mission Control through every critical check point.