Planetary Resources President to Speak at Future in Review Conference

Global Thought Leaders Converge to Work on Solving Some of the World’s Greatest Challenges in Real-Time

Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer of Planetary Resources, will be featured as the Opening Night Speaker at the 12th annual SNS Future in Review (FiRe) technology conference, May 20-23, 2014. This will be Lewicki’s first appearance at the annual technology and economic conference, described by the Economist as “the best technology conference in the world.”

Lewicki has been intimately involved with the lifecycle of NASA’s Mars exploration rovers and the Phoenix Mars lander, having performed system-engineering development and participated in assembly, test, and launch operations for both Mars missions. He was Flight Director for the rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and Surface Mission Manager for the Phoenix. The recipient of two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals, Lewicki has an asteroid named in his honor: 13609 Lewicki.

Planetary Resources‘ long-term mission is to “expand humanity’s economy into the Solar System” by developing and deploying the technologies to extend Earth’s natural resource base through asteroid mining. The company is developing and deploying commercial robotic spacecraft technology, first for Earth orbit; after demonstration of core technology, telescopic observation capability, deep space laser communications, and propulsion, the company will deploy the Arkyd series to near-Earth asteroid targets of commercial interest.

“Planetary Resources is utilizing its small expert team to do what once took governments to do. Asteroid mining will ultimately lead to an environmentally and economically sustainable development of space commerce for generations to come,” said Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer of Planetary Resources.

“Having hosted Elon Musk as he launched SpaceX, we are now delighted to host Chris Lewicki as he begins the long-term process of commercializing space. While many may think this process is far in the future, we think it has already begun, and there is no one better than Chris to help us understand the arc of these new business opportunities,” said Mark Anderson, FiRe Chair and CEO of the Strategic News Service.

Future in Review is a gathering of world-class thought leaders, convened each year with the goal of providing the most accurate look forward in technology. FiRe is a world leader in exploring how technology drives the world economy, and in using technology to solve major social challenges. These goals have been consistently achieved through FiRe’s collaboration across technology-driven industries and through active support from the global FiRe community. Now in its 12th year, FiRe 2014 will take place May 20-23 at the Montage in Laguna Beach, California.

To register for FiRe 2014, and to see bios of speakers and other participants, go to www.futureinreview.com.