Washington company asteroid-mining company Planetary Resources has appointed a space law expert Brian Israel as the company’s general counsel. Mr Israel will oversee the legal, regulatory, and compliance functions of Planetary Resource’s work. He spent the last eight years serving in the State Department’s Office and was the lead lawyer responsible for interpreting the United States’ legal obligations regarding commercial space activities. He also has experience in technology law, particularly intellectual property law. Planetary Resources’ goal is to mine natural resources from asteroids, starting with water discovered on near-Earth asteroids.