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mrxexon t1_ja9dut1 wrote

It's not going to be a thing for years yet. And some countries like the US, Russia, and China don't want anyone near their property. National security stuff is at stake.

But someday? There will be a Fred Sanford of the orbital space junkyard. Salvage will be big business. And it will generate income for those that wish to get into it.

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Sonofyuri t1_ja9y9qd wrote

"Dad. It's just a consumer shuttle... It's not worth much."

"IM COMIN ELIZABETH!"

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TiggerTheMad t1_jaa12v8 wrote

If you put robots with nano-assemblers in orbit, then anything not in use is free mass that has already been elevated out of the gravity well.

What does NASA pay per pound, 15k USD or so? Eventually this might be really valuable...

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SwiftTime00 t1_jabthbo wrote

Once we’re at the point of nano assemblers in orbit, the cost of mass to orbit will be a minuscule fraction of that.

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Western_Entertainer7 t1_jac7zbu wrote

...how does physical security work with satellites anyway? What's to stop us from sending little spy robots to a Chinese spy satellite?

Is this how the first space war is going to start?🤔🤔🤔

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Hadrollo t1_jacg1tk wrote

Basically every country agrees not to fuck with each other's stuff. The cost of getting mass to orbit and the rather limited intel that little robot can gather makes it work.

Well before we see Moonraker level satellite theft, we have to contend with the much cheaper "let's just shoot them down" option. This capability is currently only within the reach of countries that already have an active space program or are aligned with a country that does. The worry is if two smaller nations decide to try it to get the upper hand in a conflict.

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mrxexon t1_jacmp6s wrote

If it's a military or spy satellite, it most likely is equpped with a small explosive charge. It's better to blow it up than have some other country looking over the technology. It also prevents it from being recovered should it ever fall back through the atmosphere.

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Western_Entertainer7 t1_jacn0q5 wrote

. . . seems like knocking them out would be useful in a large war. I'm watching Moonraker right now to check.

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