[ExI] SpaceX Super Heavy and Space Solar

[efc at disroot.org]

On Sun, 20 Oct 2024, Keith Henson via extropy-chat wrote:

> On Sun, Oct 20, 2024 at 1:28 PM Kelly Anderson via extropy-chat
> <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone run the numbers on whether space based solar makes sense yet if the Super Heavy keeps some of its economic promises?
>
> Yes.
>
> 100 tons is 100,000 kg. If a flight gets down to even $10 million,
> that's $100/kg to LEO, double that to GEO with electric propulsion.
> 6.5 kg/kW is a reasonable number, so $1300/kW for transport, $900/kW
> for parts and labor, plus $200/kW for the rectenna.  That adds up to
> $2400/kW.  Divide by 80,000 to get 3 cents per kWh.
>
> Looks good from energy return time, takes about 66 days to pay back
> the fuel energy used to lift it to orbit.
>
> The problem is that it takes 500 flights to build one.  A reasonable
> construction rate of 50 a year would take 20 years to replace 1/3rd of
> current consumption. I don't know if the atmospheric damage of 25,000
> flights per year would be acceptable, but NOAA could answer that
> question if asked.
>
> The money through this program is $600 B/year.

What about the constant and tedious counter-argument that it is 
impossible/difficult/too expensive/too unreliable to beam energy down to 
the planet?

Has there been any new development there that would make it feasible?

I love the idea personally, but I assume, cost aside, that there's 
probably some hurdle, technical or political lurking inside there 
somewhere.

Best regards,
Daniel


> Keith
>
>> -Kelly
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