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How would you propose to fix that problem? I suppose we could get some asteroid barons that bring in a profit motive but fundamental science rarely has a profit
by bumby 5y ago
How would you propose to fix that problem? I suppose we could get some asteroid barons that bring in a profit motive but fundamental science rarely has a profit since, by definition, it hasn’t found an application yet
- XorNot 5y agoSpaceX dropping launch costs with Falcon 9 already did that. The IXPE mission launched last week went up in a gigantic, barely filled fairing, because SpaceX bid below what the previous "cheap" launch was going to be.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- LeifCarrotson 5y agoTwo tools: One, commoditize your complements. The complement of satellites is rockets, make rockets cheaper and you simplify the process of getting to space. Second, build towards economies of scale. A one-off is going to be ludicrously expensive, even the Apollo program saved money by reusing technology from military missiles. SpaceX has built more than a hundred rockets and launched more than a thousand satellites. Asteroid barons launching megatons to orbit would certainly make launching a 6.5 ton payload a non-issue. The complexity in the smartphone in my pocket boggles the imagination, I bought it for $200 but if it was a one off you'd have to be Bruce Wayne to afford it.