Why build a high-temperature superconducting mass driver?
Space holds the promise of abundance for everyone on Earth. Unlimited renewable energy beamed to where it is needed, unlimited rare earth metals without mining our landscape, and more.
Remember space as it was promised to us as children with giant rotating space stations and the chance to swim in a pool with very little gravity? To make the vast promise of space come true, the basic economics need to change. The problem with space-based solar energy, unlimited raw materials from the moon and asteroids, space settlement, Mars settlement, and more is cost. Launch cost. Delta V cost. Even with the 10X cost reduction from reusable rockets, it’s still $1,000 per pound to launch something to orbit with reusable rockets.
Mass Divers using high-temperature superconductors hold the promise of operating costs of $4.00 per pound to orbit for raw materials or less. Fuel, water, and building materials such as roll stock and powders for additive (3D) printing are all needed in tremendous quantities to deliver on the promise of space.
The World Economic Forum, in partnership with McKinsey & Company, projects space to be a $1.8 trillion global opportunity. To quote from the report, “Like the internet in its early days, the space industry is standing at an inflection point.”
In short, we believe we can change the world for the better by creating a drastically lower-cost way to move raw materials to and from orbit. The railroads changed the world’s economies and created entirely new industries. We aim to do the same.
The new space economy is coming. Sooner than you think.