> A similar thing will happen with spacecraft. Right now, it is still expensive, but SpaceX dragged down the price enormously. This isn't all positive, it will

> A similar thing will happen with spacecraft. Right now, it is still expensive, but SpaceX dragged down the price enormously. This isn't all positive, it will also increase the Kessler effect[1] whereby "the density of objects in low Earth orbit due to space pollution is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade in which each collision generates space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions. One implication is that the distribution of debris in orbit could render space activities and the use of satellites in specific orbital ranges difficult for many generations." The last 100 years have shown that while capitalism has rendered an unprecedented jump in quality of life overall for the vast majority of people, the "waste" that is inherent in this industrial jump has been ignored completely, which is what puts us in the situation we are in today, where oceans are full of plastic and the air is full of dangerous particles from fossil fuels. One could hope that we don't repeat this ignorant approach in developing space, because even if you can clean up most waste after the fact, obviously it's much more effective and economical to make sure the waste doesn't reach critical mass at all first. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome