Re:Powering the lunar base, version 2
by rippercushions on Saturday December 31, 2022 @04:41PM
(#34201062)
> Current space hardware development costs range from $100,000/kg for basic, boring LEO hardware up to >$1m/kg for deep space robots such as the Mars Science Laboratory rover. A 50 T lunar power system would then cost between $5b and $50b
This assumption seems highly dubious. We're not even defining what this "lunar power system" consists of (solar? nuclear?), but the vast majority of that bulk is going to be repeating elements (solar panels, batteries, turbines) that only need to be designed once, meaning the development costs will scale sub-linearly.
This assumption seems highly dubious. We're not even defining what this "lunar power system" consists of (solar? nuclear?), but the vast majority of that bulk is going to be repeating elements (solar panels, batteries, turbines) that only need to be designed once, meaning the development costs will scale sub-linearly.