4 ms·
isn't metal in orbit much more valuable than metal on earth? i.e. you can build plenty cheap satellites with it.
by hnben 3y ago
isn't metal in orbit much more valuable than metal on earth? i.e. you can build plenty cheap satellites with it.
- hnbad 3y agoThis assumes you can refine the ores "in orbit" and manufacture everything "in orbit". This in turn requires a ton of manufacturing on Earth and a lot of launches to move all this stuff off Earth. Not to mention all the supporting industry and infrastructure manufacturing normally has on Earth. Not to mention the R&D costs and staff logistics. This isn't a video game. You can't just click a button and have an autonomous satellite factory churning out satellites in space. Moving any amount of manufacturing or refining into space is a massive logistics undertaking we haven't even begun to explore. Just because Bezos has a vision of moving the working class off Earth or Musk made some off-the-cuff remarks to rile up his yes-men, that doesn't mean this is something that will happen soon, much less something that will be useful soon.