Project Helios in 5 Minutes

The Idea

NoteDocument Status

This document is a conceptual design (feasibility study). The goal is to demonstrate the fundamental feasibility of the project and identify the critical path for implementation.

All calculations presented are order-of-magnitude estimates. Transitioning to implementation will require:

  • Detailed engineering development of each subsystem
  • Work by research institutes and design bureaus
  • Prototyping and field testing

This is precisely why the first years of the project (1-4) are entirely dedicated to R&D — research and development work.

Build a Dyson Swarm — ~1.1 billion mirrors around the Sun, intercepting ~102 petawatts of solar energy. First phase: 1 PW on Earth (50x global consumption). Full potential with LSP scaling: up to ~18 PW (18% transmission efficiency).

Problems this can solve:

  • Global warming — fossil fuel replacement + CO2 capture + orbital cooling
  • Hunger — vertical farms, water desalination, fertilizer synthesis
  • Waste — recycling any waste through high-temperature plasma decomposition
  • Interstellar travel — laser sails for acceleration to 20% of light speed
  • Mars terraforming — magnetic shield for atmosphere retention + heating + oxygen production

Learn more: Why Mercury?, Production, Roadmap

Project Overview

flowchart TB
    subgraph EARTH["EARTH (years 1-4)"]
        E1[R&D] --> E2[Gen-1 Robots<br/>+ electronics]
        E2 --> E3[Desert testbed]
        E2 --> E4[Rectenna<br/>Russia, Europe, USA,<br/>Gobi, Sahara, Atacama]
    end

    subgraph MOON["MOON (years 4-10)"]
        L1[Testbed] --> L2[LSP stations<br/>on limbs]
        L1 --> L4[Test MD]
    end

    subgraph SPACE[" "]
        direction LR
        subgraph MERCURY["MERCURY (years 6-15)"]
            M1[Factory] --> M2[Self-replication]
            M2 --> M3[1000 MDs]
            M3 --> M4[Mirrors]
        end
        subgraph SWARM["DYSON SWARM"]
            R1[~1.1B mirrors]
        end
        subgraph SUN["SUN"]
            S1[Disposal]
        end
    end

    E3 -->|rockets| L1
    L4 -.->|experience| M1
    E3 -->|rockets| M1
    M4 -->|MD| R1
    R1 -->|light| L2
    L2 -->|microwaves| E4
    R1 -.->|broken| S1

    style SUN fill:#FFECB3,stroke:#FF8F00,stroke-width:2px,color:#E65100
    style EARTH fill:#E3F2FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px,color:#0D47A1
    style MOON fill:#F5F5F5,stroke:#616161,stroke-width:2px,color:#212121
    style MERCURY fill:#FBE9E7,stroke:#E64A19,stroke-width:2px,color:#BF360C
    style SWARM fill:#FFF8E1,stroke:#FFA000,stroke-width:2px,color:#FF6F00
    style SPACE fill:none,stroke:none

    click E1 "summaries/roadmap.html" "Roadmap"
    click E2 "detailed/robots/overview.html" "Robot Bestiary"
    click E3 "summaries/roadmap.html" "Roadmap"
    click E4 "detailed/hub.html" "Energy Reception Hub"
    click L1 "summaries/roadmap.html" "Roadmap"
    click L2 "detailed/hub.html" "LSP Stations"
    click L4 "detailed/railguns/overview.html" "Mass Driver"
    click M1 "summaries/production.html" "Production and Self-replication"
    click M2 "summaries/production.html" "Production and Self-replication"
    click M3 "detailed/railguns/overview.html" "Mass Driver"
    click M4 "summaries/mirrors.html" "Swarm Mirrors"
    click R1 "summaries/mirrors.html" "Swarm Mirrors"
    click S1 "summaries/mirrors.html" "Mirror Disposal"

Reading the diagram: top to bottom by time. Earth -> Moon -> Mercury + Swarm.

Scale and Budget

Scale

Parameter Value
Mirrors ~1.1 billion
Mirror area 1.1x10^13 m^2 (~11 million km^2)
Swarm mass ~128 million tons
Factories on Mercury ~1,650 (1,500 F-M + 150 F-R)
Mass Drivers on Mercury ~1,000
Import from Earth ~2,400 t (99.998% localization)
Construction timeline ~9.5 years (degradation included)
Power on Earth 1 PW (phase 1) / up to ~18 PW (full)

Phases: - R&D (years 1-2) - Earth testbed (years 2-4) - Moon (years 4-10) - Mercury (years 6-18)

Budget (with LSP infrastructure)

Scenario Budget (USD 2026)
Optimistic $200-250B
Baseline $355-445B
Conservative $490-610B

For comparison: ISS — $150B, Apollo — $280B.

Why is this possible?

Key principle: All equipment is built locally — on Mercury and Moon — from local materials. Only electronics is shipped from Earth (~2,400 t). Localization: 99.998%.

Scale of local production:

Location What’s built Mass
Mercury Mirrors, MDs, factories, robots ~129M t
Moon LSP stations ~178,000 t
Total local ~129M t

Without self-replication, we would need to deliver ~129 million tons of equipment — that’s ~54,000 super-heavy rocket launches.

Learn more: Self-replication, Project Budget

Technology Readiness

All key project technologies already exist and are being demonstrated:

Technology TRL Status (2025)
Electromagnetic launch 5-6 China: 700 km/h in 2 sec
Lights-off factories 9 FANUC, Xiaomi: 24/7 without people
Autonomous mining 8-9 Rio Tinto: 690+ trucks
MRE electrolysis 5-6 NASA, Blue Origin
Microwave transmission 5-6 Caltech: from space to Earth (2023)
Ultra-thin foil 5-7 IKAROS, LightSail 2

Learn more: Technologies and Sources

Earth: Preparation

Everything starts on Earth.

R&D (years 1-2): - Development of robots, factories, and AI systems - Mirror and Mass Driver prototypes - Factory prototypes and self-replication schemes - Planning for Moon and Mercury operations - Laser receiver development

Earth Testbed (years 3-6): - Test factory in Mercury-like conditions (desert) - Gen-1 robot testing in extreme conditions - First Mass Driver (horizontal tests)

Production: - Gen-1 robots for delivery to Moon and Mercury - Electronics — “Vitamins” for the entire project

Launch vehicles: - ~50-100 launches over the entire project (thanks to 99.998% localization) - Payload capacity: ~50 tons to Mercury - Rocket industry grows organically (satellites, lunar programs)

Learn more: Roadmap, Budget

Moon: Testbed

The Moon is a key stage between Earth and Mercury.

Technology Testing (years 4-6)

  • Robots learn to mine, smelt, build
  • Errors are cheaper: 1.3 sec communication (vs 8-20 min), 3-day delivery (vs months)
  • Experience transfers to Mercury

Test Mass Driver

Prototype of Mercury MD for technology validation:

Parameter Mercury Moon (test)
Target velocity 5 km/s 2.5 km/s
Track length 2-3 km 0.5-1 km
Purpose Mirror launch Technology validation

Learn more: Moon, Mass Driver

Mercury: Production

The main factory of the project. Why Mercury, not the Moon?

  • Energy: solar flux 10 kW/m^2 — 7x more than on the Moon
  • Resources: the planet’s metallic core — the richest deposit of iron and aluminum in the Solar System
  • Orbit: The Swarm orbits the Sun — doesn’t occupy useful orbits around Earth
  • Disposal: failed mirrors fall into the Sun — no space debris

Production Chain

flowchart LR
    A[Mining] --> B[Smelting]
    B --> C[New factories]
    B --> D[New MDs]
    B --> E[Mirrors]
    C --> D
    E --> D
    D --> F[Launch]
    F --> G[Swarm]

Self-replication

Robots build robots. Factories build factories.

  • 99.998% of mass — from local resources (~129M t: iron for frames, aluminum for bodies, silicon)
  • 0.002% of mass — “Vitamins” from Earth (~2,400 t: electronics, optics)
  • Gen-2 robots — optimized (~960 kg): Al frames + Fe critical components
  • Energy: ~151 MW (~10.5 t CPV system: concentrators + GaAs) — bootstrap without waiting for Swarm
  • Critical path: First MD (month 6) -> first mirrors -> scaling

Over ~9.5 years: 1 factory -> ~1,650 factories (1,500 F-M + 150 F-R) -> 1.1 billion working mirrors (degradation already included)

Learn more: Ground Zero Factory, Robot Bestiary

Dyson Swarm: Mirrors

~1.1 billion mirrors in heliocentric orbits.

Each mirror: - Size: 100 x 100 m - Material: 4 um aluminum foil - Mass: ~116 kg - Power on Earth: ~17 MW (at 18% efficiency)

Organization: - Mirrors grouped into clusters of 1,000-10,000 units - Each cluster — a virtual antenna ~100 km - Clusters focus light on LSP stations (Moon)

After first mirrors launch: - Part of energy -> Earth (via LSP) - Part of energy -> Moon (for continued construction) - Part of energy -> Mercury (for factories and Mass Drivers)

Learn more: Swarm Mirrors

Energy to Earth: LSP + Rectenna

The final link in the chain: Swarm light -> electricity on Earth.

LSP Stations (Lunar Solar Power)

Network of 40 stations on the Moon’s surface (instead of an orbital hub):

Parameter Value
Stations 40
Location Moon limbs (eastern + western)
Transmission Microwaves 2.45 GHz
Efficiency (Swarm to Earth) 18%

How it works:

  1. Reception — concentrated light from Swarm onto PV panels
  2. Conversion — light -> electricity -> microwaves
  3. Transmission — microwave beam to rectenna on Earth

LSP advantages: - Heat dissipates into ground — no radiators needed in space - 18% efficiency (vs 10% for orbital hub) - Built from lunar resources

Rectenna on Earth

Global network of microwave receivers:

Region Location Note
Russia Yakutia, Kazakhstan Sparsely populated areas
Europe Southern Spain, Finland Semi-desert + Northern Europe
N. America USA, Mexico, Canada Deserts + prairies
China Xinjiang (Taklamakan) Close to consumers
India Rajasthan (Thar) High demand
Africa Sahara Large-scale generation
Asia Gobi (Mongolia) Large-scale generation
S. America Atacama (Chile) Large-scale generation
Oceania Central Australia Large-scale generation

Microwaves pass through clouds — all-weather operation.

Learn more: Energy Reception Hub

Risks

  1. Factory self-replication (TRL 4-5) — subsystems proven (robots, casting, WAAM), integration requires R&D
  2. Iridium for anodes — solved by carbon anodes from local feedstock (Mercury LRM zones)
  3. Mirror degradation — 8-12 year lifespan, compensated by producing 219 million mirrors/year

Learn more: Risks and Limitations

Conclusion

TipStudy Results

This feasibility study confirms: the project is achievable with current technology levels.

Key facts:

  • All critical technologies exist (TRL 4-9) or are actively being developed
  • Budget of $200-490B is comparable to Apollo ($280B) and ISS ($150B)
  • Timeline of 10-15 years — realistic with international cooperation
  • First energy on Earth — as early as year 8-9 from start

Why this matters: Project Helios is the only known solution capable of providing humanity with energy at a scale of 1000x current consumption. This enables not only solving the climate crisis but also opening the path to Mars terraforming, interstellar travel, and sustainable civilization development.

Recommendation: The project deserves high priority and international attention as the most promising path to solving global energy problems.

See Also