While it may not be their final frontier, ConsenSys has definitely entered into a new era. The blockchain-based company has recently acquired Planetary Resources, a U.S.-based asteroid mining company.
ConsenSys has been very busy indeed. The Brooklyn-based blockchain platform has been expanding their team and has also become an integral part of Global Digital Finance’s (GDF) goal of creating global regulations and guidelines for the cryptocurrency industry.
ConsenSys Reaches for the Stars
Now, according to TechCrunch, it seems as if the platform may have set its sights on something bigger. ConsenSys has recently purchased Planetary Resources, an asteroid mining company that is also based in the U.S. As out of this world this latest acquisition may seem, Joe Lubin, who is the founder of ConsenSys, sees exciting times on the horizon. He says:
I admire Planetary Resources for its world class talent, its record of innovation, and for inspiring people across our planet in support of its bold vision for the future. 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.
While there is no clear indication of exactly what this new initiative hopes to achieve, Lubin has said that he will release more information in the not too distant future.
As part of the acquisition, the CEO of Planetary Resources, Chris Lewicki, will now be joining ConsenSys. Lewicki had this to say on the new venture:
I am proud of our team’s extraordinary accomplishments, grateful to our visionary supporters, and delighted to join ConsenSys in building atop our work to expand humanity’s economic sphere of influence into the Solar System.
Pushing Private Space Travel?
Planetary Resources’ General Counsel, Brian Israel, will also be joining the ConsenSys team. According to Engadget, Israel believes that a useful product of blockchain, smart contracts, will help make the process of private spaceflight that much easier. Israel added that it is a “natural solution” as it will allow people all over the world to easily “coordinate and transact.”
While Bitcoin and its brethren struggle to reach those December 2017 highs, Lubin believes that this is no cause for concern. In fact, Live Bitcoin News recently reported that he thinks that the industry has “never been stronger.”
You never know; with this new acquisition by ConsenSys, we may even see blockchain and crypto in galaxies far, far away.
What do you think that this new venture hopes to achieve? Let us know in the comments below!
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