And how many of these rockets would you have to launch to match the capacity of a mid-size terrestrial data center?
replyWe’re not talking about launching little satellites here, we’re talking about replacing giant buildings.
How do you cool a datacenter in a vacuum? You’d need ridiculous radiators to dump megawatts. How do you service it in space when something breaks?
replyAn individual satellite would not be consuming megawatts.
replyThe radiators are not a big deal. The solar panels required are much bigger. You can just run the electronics really hot to improve the efficiency of the radiation. Nobody is going to get close to those chips so the usual safety requirements don't apply.
You don't service it. Over time the chips degrade and become less useful. Eventually you deorbit it and it burns up. It's a sealed unit, not meant to be replaced.
> You can just run the electronics really hot to improve the efficiency of the radiation. Nobody is going to get close to those chips so the usual safety requirements don't apply.
replyThe chip temperature isn’t limited by safety issues (unless self destruction of the chip counts as safety to you). Certainly not to protect the people around it.
Can you share the math of why the panels need to be larger than the radiators?
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