Autonomous Robot Swarms for Off-World Construction and Resource Mining
Jekan Thangavelautham

TL;DR
This paper explores the feasibility of lunar and Martian mining bases using renewable energy, focusing on resource exportation like water and metals to support space economy expansion.
Contribution
It introduces an energy model to assess the viability of mining bases on the Moon and Mars, emphasizing resource exportation using renewable energy and Mass Drivers.
Findings
Energy requirements for exporting 100 tons of resources are quantified.
Comparison of lunar and Martian base construction and operation energy costs.
Feasibility analysis supports sustainable off-world resource mining.
Abstract
Kick-starting the space economy requires identification of critical resources that can lower the cost of space transport, sustain logistic bases and communication relay networks between major nodes in the network. One important challenge with this space-economy is ensuring the low-cost transport of raw materials from one gravity-well to another. The escape delta-v of 11.2 km/s from Earth makes this proposition very expensive. Transporting materials from the Moon takes 2.4 km/s and from Mars 5.0 km/s. Based on these factors, the Moon and Mars have the potential to export material into this space economy. Water has been identified as a critical resource both to sustain human-life but also for use in propulsion, attitude-control, power, thermal storage and radiation protection systems.There is also important need for construction materials such as aluminum, iron/steel, and titanium. Based…
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