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Musk has often said that Orbital solar is incredibly stupid. And it is.

• rbanffy 3y ago
  Stupid or not, it'd be useful for a number of things, including creating a demand for more than one Starship launch per day. As for the actual uses besides beaming power down, providing additional power to spacecraft in deep space, powering lasers for light sails, or maybe as a directed energy weapon.
  • nickik 3y ago
    It wont create demand because its not efficient and therefore nobody will invest huge amounts of money in it. > providing additional power to spacecraft in deep space Very likely an extreme niche application or wont happen. > powering lasers for light sails Again, an extreme niche or wont happen. > or maybe as a directed energy weapon. Same thing. In a world where Starship exists, you can throw a deep space probe with gigantic amounts of solar panels, that seems cheaper then having a separate space craft.