Also it’s stupid. Heat needs a medium to conduct into, and in space there is none. These data centers would remove waste heat through radiation, which is to say by incandescing.
I’m actually starting to come around on the feasibility of space data centers. I don’t think we’re there yet, but in 5-10 years I feel like the equation might work. “Free” cooling from new lighter radiators and cooling loops, “free” solar power, no land acquisition, no building permits, no building construction, etc., is all worth something.
The physics of radiative heat transfer haven’t changed and aren’t changing, the idea will be just as stupid in 5 years as it is right now.
But it doesn’t matter, because there isn’t a plan to actually build a bunch of orbiting data centers, it is just something Musk is saying to generate hype for investors pre-IPO.
I agree that this announcement is just another Musk hype cycle, and I can’t wait for a bunch of “AI” companies to crash and burn.
What I meant with the 5-10 year comment was that if people still insist on spending money on data centers, we might reach a point where falling launch costs, lighter radiator systems, and more available and cheap satellite components make it feasible for a space based server rack to have lower lifetime costs and be less of a headache than a terrestrial one.
A physics problem might be easier than a regulatory one. Big radiators are an acceptable solution if there are multiple reusable super heavy lift launch vehicles.
Honestly at this point we may as well go for it, it’s obvious that colonizing space is something humanity will fuck up really badly in our current state, enforcing a few thousand years to get our shit together first seems like it could be a good idea.
If we were to destroy everything orbiting earth today, we would probably be out of the Kessler Syndrome it would cause in about a decade. This doesn’t really negate your point - I’m more inclined by the week to believe we are in the midst of a civilizational collapse that will halt our advancement for a millennium or two.
If we were to destroy everything orbiting earth today, we would probably be out of the Kessler Syndrome it would cause in about a decade.
Not if you include sats in GEO. While LEO is self-cleaning in the timespan of a few years, stuff in GEO will stay there for millennia.
There isn’t enough there to cause Kessler Syndrome.
Space capitalism is gonna capitalism.
High inclination orbits at 500-2000km altitude… Uh… Someone forgetting about the radiation belts?
Likely going to end up on the edge of the inner van Allen belt. Needs more shielding and may be impacted by single event effects (transients from high energy particles depositing charge within the circuitry, can cause issues like bit flips or latchups or even damage chips)
Dejavu
