Hardware Cost: the Second Gap
How much would space solar hardware need to cost, and how far is that from today?
Chapter summary
about a hundred times less than space hardware costs today.
Key takeaways
- 1
Setcoin's Study S3 found space solar arrays installed at about €200–350 per watt at beginning of life, typical of qualified spacecraft hardware built in small numbers.
- 2
SBSP cost models assume around $1–2 per watt of delivered power for the whole space segment, solar collectors, transmitters and structure, which implies mass production at near-terrestrial cost levels, with space qualification built in.
- 3
Ground solar modules sell for tens of cents per watt and phased-array chips have fallen in price with volume, so the target is not physically absurd.
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