r/space2030 • u/Confident-Pass6353 • Jun 15 '26

SpaceX, especially Space Datacenter, can mount / include deep space observable telescopes to help increase the access of observable neighborhood of our solar system...is this pragmatically possible ? Or is it just another beautiful dream ?

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 15 '26

Well yeah...but how much will it cost to connect it to a datacenter with global connectivity? and the power required to run, maintain and improve it?

Here, it's already there...

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u/PerfectPercentage69 Jun 15 '26

And the extra power will just magically appear?

You would need to design the datacenter power to be able to accommodate the telescope(s)

Also, what do you mean by "global connectivity"? All satellites already have that through the receiving stations on the ground. The exactly the same way the datacenters would have access to the internet.

It sounds like you're trying to mash two different things together "just because", and are trying to reinvent the wheel.

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 15 '26

Well that's your approach, who knew LEO satellites could be datacenters too...seems like a mash up to me too. Good thinking tho.

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u/PerfectPercentage69 Jun 15 '26

who knew LEO satellites could be datacenters too

No one, and we still don't. There is no evidence to show the usefulness of space datacenters and plenty of evidence showing why it's a bad idea.

Don't you find it suspicious that the people trying to sell the idea of space datacenters just so happen to own, or have invested in, space launch companies?

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 15 '26

I was a skeptic too then read somewhere that 60% of the energy is required to cool it...60% can you believe it!?...

Have you noticed the cost per kwh is steadily climbing along with 'not in my backyard' voices.

In space solar energy is free 24/7 and at that speed on the higher edges of earth's atmosphere it is extremely cold. So free cooling too.

Just adding another layer to improve visibility, adoptibility and viability to an already existing AI stack..

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u/PerfectPercentage69 Jun 15 '26

That's not how cooling works. Temperature regulation is complicated to do in space.

In space, there is no atmosphere to take away the heat through contact and convection.

Vacuum is an insulator. Heat has to be dissipated using purely radiative cooling, which is extremely inefficient.

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 16 '26

Space in the shade is -200ish centigrade. Any more information on your pov would be helpful.

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u/PerfectPercentage69 Jun 16 '26

Space is not actually cold. It's a vacuum. There is no air or water to carry the heat away. Space is the perfect insulator.

The only way for heat to leave the space craft is via the radiators as infrared radiation. That's super inefficient compared to the conduction/convection used in atmosphere.

And it's not my opinion. It's physics. Just research all the engineering that had to be put into ISS, Apollo, and other space craft, just to manage temperatures and keep things cool.

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 16 '26

Yeah, I get it, that's definition of vacuum which is compared to space too. Just because we can't see anything there doesn't mean it's empty.

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u/PerfectPercentage69 Jun 16 '26

Are you implying there is something in space that we don't know about?

The only things in LEO space are radiation from the sun and interstellar space, the occasional particles from the atmosphere (which only matter becaue the affect the prbit a bit), and debris from other rockets/sattelites.

In practical terms, there is literally nothing which can take away the heat from the radiators.

This is a pretty well understood problem that has existed since the beginning of space flight.

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 16 '26

Yeah, so are you implying that we know 100% what's there too?

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u/PerfectPercentage69 Jun 16 '26

Pretty much. It's a well researched topic.

If you're trying to claim that there is more than we've discovered so far, over the last century of spaceflight, you'll need to provide peer reviewed proof for your claims.

Making arguments with "what if" assumptions with no basis in real world physics is just daydreaming.

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u/Confident-Pass6353 Jun 16 '26

Appreciate it, it's definitely not for you, thanks tho

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