Steve Wozniak, Apple cofounder, is starting to see the new space company.
Privateer, a Hawaii-based company, is still in stealth mode one month after Wozniak, co-founder Alex Fielding, announced its existence. However, we know that the company plans to address humanity's growing problem of space junk, which could hinder our exploration to the last frontier. Privateer will, at least for the first time, be focusing on increasing our knowledge of the orbital population.
Fielding recently told TechCrunch that "We really got off to the goal of building Google Maps of Space," Fielding said.
Related: 7 wild ways you can destroy orbital debris
This ambitious endeavor will be led by Moriba Jah, an aerodynamicist and "space environmentist", who has been hired as the company's chief scientific advisor.
"We are proud to have a scientist of Moriba's calibre joining the Privateer Team. Wozniak stated in an email that his knowledge on the subject is only surpassed by his passion for solving it."
Wozniak stated that while some might argue Privateer has benefited from a connection to my name, I view it as a feather on my cap to have been connected to this great company and group."
Jah is an associate professor of engineering mechanics and aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Jah is an expert in space junk and one the most prominent voices calling for humanity to take action.
Jah stated in the same statement that "my work has been heavily involved science and technology research focused space safety, security, and sustainability." "I respond to an inner clarion call for action in reminding humanity about its intergenerational contract on stewardship/custodianship, honoring the interconnectedness of all things, and that compassion is best when it comes from compassion."
He stated that he has been searching for "kindred spirits" who are as bold as the 14-century Medici family in Florence, whose patronage was instrumental in the birth of the Renaissance.
Jah stated that Privateer is Medici-bold. Privateer creates knowledge and solutions, with a focus of decision intelligence at the speed to relevance. "By accepting complexity, we transform the state-of-the-possible into the state state of practice. We recruit the spirit of sustainability and stewardship to heal our relationship with the environment.
Privateer's boldness already is evident. According to TechCrunch, Privateer plans to launch its first satellite in February, a small cubesat equipped with 42 sensors. It will then launch its second satellite two months later.
Jah was previously a spacecraft navigator for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Southern California. He worked for a variety of Red Planet projects while there, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Mars Exploration Rovers mission that sent Spirit and Opportunity to the fourth rock in the sun.
