Spaceflight 🚀📆 2023 This #SBSP study by #Astrostrom for #ESA proposes a 29,339 m2 #solar ☀️ collector at the #Lagrange point, #SolarPanels from #Lunar 🌙 materials, transported by a #SpaceElevator 🚠 from the #Moon https://nebula.esa.int/sites/default/files/neb_study/2753/C4000136309ESR.pdf
A single liter costs a few thousand dollars. Because there is no magnetosphere around the #Moon 🌙, it's believed there are large quantities of #helium3 gas trapped in pockets of the #lunar regolith. #Interlune is working toward the launch of a demonstrator mission in 📆 2026 that will sample the lunar regolith, measure the helium-3 quantity, and then attempt to extract some of it. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/mining-helium-3-on-the-moon-has-been-talked-about-forever-now-a-company-will-try/
In 📆 2022, the #SpaceIndustry was estimated to be worth US$350 billion 💵 and is projected to grow 📈 to more than one trillion 💰 dollars over the next two decades. Actors such as #SpaceX already own a majority of the #LEO #satellites 🛰️ . In the absence of a concerted global 🌏 dialogue, individual countries are pushing ahead with their own laws. Usually, international arrangements tend to arise 🥱 when there is a real risk of #conflict. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00722-4
Michael Gemar@spaceflight I know a lot of folks are upset at SpaceX putting up so many satellites, but they’re just the first, with Amazon’s Kuiper, the Chinese, Europe, and the US military all wanting to build constellations. It’s hard to see there being an international agreement on limits to how many satellites can be put where, at least not before all these other actors implement their own constellations.
@michaelgemar I'd call that "a real risk of conflict" which is imminent (Bezos' and Chinas 🛰️ ). Moon- and asteroid mining might be a couple of years later
@spaceflight I agree it’s a real risk, but there’s no chance that China will agree to limits on its satellites, and I’d imagine Amazon, US defense, and Europe would feel the same. SpaceX has set the precedent.
@michaelgemar that would be their job ? https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/index.html
@spaceflight I’m dubious that their policy suggestions would be taken seriously by those it would limit.