Episode 552: A Spacecraft Is Going To Build Its Own Solar Panels In Space: Archinaut One

Universe Today Podcast · Aug 23, 2019 · 11m

As I’ve mentioned in several episodes now, humanity is in a bit of a transition period, a time when it makes sense to launch material up and out of Earth’s gravity well into orbit, and beyond. But it’s really expensive, costing up to $10,000 per pound you want in orbit, and 10 times if you want it on the Moon. But over the coming decades, more and more of our space-based infrastructure will be built in space, manufactured out of materials that were mined in space.The only thing that’ll actually need to leave the Earth’s clingy gravity well will be us, the humans, the tourists, wanting to…