Seth Potter says SBSP is $240/watt (was Why Sustainable Power is Uns

> but wasn't the original (or early) idea that industries would be erected on the > Moon's surface to build the principal bulky components out of mostly lunar > materials there, then launch them into terrestrial orbit via electromagnetic catapults? Actually, to launch ore from the moon to L-2 with the processing, refinement, and component manufacturing taking place in High Earth Orbit. There are 2 major advantages of that approach vs. manufacturing on the lunar surface: If launching oreinstead finished components, there are no constraints on the G-forces allowable. The lunar mass driver was assumed to be launching with an acceleration of 1,800 Gs. Higher accelerations = shorter launcher = reduced installation costs. On the lunar surface, solar energy for ore refinement, metal working, etc. would only be available 2 weeks out of every 4. In high Earth orbit, solar power would be available continuously. The early studies only saw onerationale for lunar surface manufacturing: for those products whose end-use would be on the lunar surface. Like say when it's time to build Mass-Driver 2.