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Asteroid Capture for Space Solar Power: A Project Plan

Stephen D. Covey RamblingsOnTheFutureOfHumanity.blogspot.com. Asteroid Capture for Space Solar Power: A Project Plan. ASTEROID CAPTURE FOR SPACE SOLAR POWER: A PROJECT PLAN. Assumptions Project Phases Capture 99942 Apophis into Earth orbit Launch mining & manufacturing tools

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Asteroid Capture for Space Solar Power: A Project Plan

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  1. Stephen D. Covey RamblingsOnTheFutureOfHumanity.blogspot.com Asteroid Capture for Space Solar Power: A Project Plan

  2. ASTEROID CAPTURE FOR SPACE SOLAR POWER: A PROJECT PLAN • Assumptions • Project Phases • Capture 99942 Apophis into Earth orbit • Launch mining & manufacturing tools • Launch construction shacks & workers • Construct & deploy Solar Power Satellites • Construct a worker/colonist habitat • Repeat 4 & 5 with remaining asteroid resources • Return On Investment • Areas for Research & Development • Summary

  3. ASSUMPTIONS • Capture an Asteroid into LEO: 99942 Apophis • Timeframe: • Project start in 2027, • Launch capture mission in early 2028, • Orbit capture April 2030 • Mining mission starts 2030 • SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch vehicle • Pricing in 2011 dollars • Worker launch costs $24M -> $1M/person • Not included in budgets (addressed later): • In-space worker salaries • Most R&D costs • Sales of energy funds everything

  4. Capture Apophis into Earth Orbit • The capture mission begins 2027: • Assemble tugship in LEO • Intercept injection via lunar slingshot Oct-2027 • 5 months to intercept • 10 months of thrust to change Apophis orbit • 3 month coast • Earth slingshot - April 13, 2029 • 12 month coast • Lunar slingshot & drop into Earth orbit, Apr-2030 • Capture mission duration 30+ months

  5. Tugship for Apophis Capture • Launch into LEO: • Core ship (crew quarters, life support, 50 t) • Fuel/thruster assemblies (100 t) • Solar panels (200m, 12 megawatts, 100 t) • Total equipment: $1.5B, 250 tons • 5 launches ($600M) • Launch assembly crew & construction shack: $1.6B (with training, tools, supplies, 2 launches) • Assemble (12-18 person-months) • Launch mission crew & supplies: 1 launch @ $100M • Total capture: $3.8B

  6. LAUNCH MINING & MANUFACTURING TOOLS • Solar power generator: 1 launch, $200M • Mining facilities: 2 launches, $400M • Solar smelter, gas refining, metals: 5 launches, $1B • Steel production: 5 launches, $1B • Rolling mill: 3 launches, $600M • Finished metal product plant: 2 launches, $400M • Silicon refinery, solar panel manufacturing (3 launches, $600M) • Slag processing & handling: (1 launch, $200M) • Total estimate: $4.4B equipment & 22 launches spanning 2030-2031

  7. LAUNCH WORKERS & HOUSING

  8. CONSTRUCT A 5 GW SPS • Solar panels (16 square kilometers) • Steel support structures • Microwave transmitting antenna (1 km) • Microwave transmitter (from Earth) • Protective shield • Total mass 25,000 tons

  9. DEPLOY THE SPSs • Build near asteroid in HEO • Deploy into GEO (2 km/s) • Deployment fuel (1,000 tons) • Install microwave transmitter launched from Earth • Construct ground receiving station • 10+ km rectenna • $1 B (born by receiving electric utility)

  10. KALPANA ONE HABITAT - DESIGN • 100 meter radius, 130 meter wide cylinder • Spinning at 3 rpm • 10 t/m2 slag shield (1.6 Mt) • 1-inch thick steel shell (28 kt) • 126 kt of interior steel structures • Solar Power (6kw/person, 50 Mw total) • Capacity 8,000 workers

  11. KALPANA ONE HABITAT - FEATURES • Lots of room (square feet): • 5,500,000 agricultural: • 2,500,000 residential (300 sf/person) • 1,500,000 office, light industrial, retail • 1,000,000 storage & overhead • 50x130 meter core zero-G cylinder for research & industry • 12 acre cylindrical park (100x250 meters)

  12. REPEAT UNTIL RESOURCES EXHAUSTED • 8 Year Plan • 1 habitat for 8,000 people • 15 five-gigawatt solar power satellites • Over 90% of Apophis remains • Continue Building 8 SPSs/Year • Global Demand: 2 Tw (400 SPSs) • More (& Larger) Habitats • Near GEO • LEO • Mars?

  13. RETURN ON INVESTMENT

  14. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT • Heavy lift (or super heavy lift) launch vehicles • Space taxies / trucks (tugships) • Long-term life support • Zero-G mining, smelting, refining, manufacturing • Manufacturing solar panels • High-efficiency multi-gigawatt microwave transmitters / receivers • Large-scale in-space construction techniques (of SPS and habitats) with limited resources

  15. CONCLUSION • 2036: Breakeven ($25B peak outflow) • 2037: $19.5B/year Profits (10% Apophis) • 2053: (assuming +8 SPS/year) • 150 SPSs deployed • $195B/year revenue • 12 orbital habitats; 100,000 person capacity • The asteroid Apophis is only a memory • But there are more asteroids out there!

  16. RamblingsOnTheFutureOfHumanity .com www.StephenDCovey.com StephenDCovey@galleries.com

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