Production

TL;DR

  • Two centers: Mercury (mirrors + self-replication) and the Moon (testbed + LSP stations)
  • Mercury strategy: Self-replication 1 -> ~1650 factories in 4 years (bottleneck: Vitamins delivery)
  • Moon strategy: Testbed for technology validation + construction of LSP stations at limbs
  • Synergy: Moon validates technologies -> Mercury scales production
  • Logistics: Mercury -> Dyson Swarm -> LSP (Moon) -> Earth
NoteObjective and Calculation Status

The purpose of this documentation is to confirm the fundamental feasibility of the project and provide preliminary estimates for budgets and timelines. Calculations confirm: all necessary technologies exist (MRE electrolysis, WAAM, solar concentration, electromagnetic launch), materials on Mercury are present in sufficient quantities (Al, Fe, Si, Ti, S), and delivery logistics are realistic given current launch cost trends.

All numbers provided (areas, throughputs, material flows) are preliminary order-of-magnitude estimates. Transitioning to implementation requires a professional engineering team for parameter refinement, detailed design, and validation of adopted solutions.

Production System Overview

The project uses two production centers with different tasks and conditions. This is not duplication but specialization - each location does what it does best. Production develops in three phases:

Preparation: Earth -> Moon (years 1-6)

flowchart LR
    subgraph EARTH["EARTH"]
        E1["First factory"]
        E2["Vitamins"]
    end

    subgraph MOON["MOON (testbed)"]
        L1["Technology validation"]
        L2["Knowledge and experience"]
    end

    E1 --> L1
    E2 --> L1
    L1 --> L2
    L2 -.->|"transfer to Mercury"| KNOWLEDGE["Ready for scaling"]

    style EARTH fill:#a8d4e8
    style MOON fill:#d4e8a8

Scaling: Mercury (from year 6)

flowchart LR
    KNOWLEDGE["Knowledge from Moon"] --> M1

    subgraph EARTH["EARTH"]
        E2["Vitamins"]
    end

    subgraph MERCURY["MERCURY"]
        M1["Ground Zero Factory"]
        M2["~1650 factories"]
        M2a["Mass Drivers"]
        M3["Mirrors"]
        MC["Carbon (craters)"]
        MG["Graphite"]
    end

    subgraph SWARM["SWARM"]
        R1["1.1 billion mirrors"]
    end

    E2 --> M1
    M1 --> M2
    M2 --> M2a
    M2a --> M3
    M3 --> R1
    MC -.-> MG
    MG -.-> M2

    style EARTH fill:#a8d4e8
    style MERCURY fill:#e8d4a8
    style SWARM fill:#e8e8a8

Result: Closed Energy Cycle (from year 7)

flowchart LR
    subgraph SWARM["SWARM"]
        R1["1.1 billion mirrors"]
    end

    subgraph MOON["MOON (LSP)"]
        L4["Limb stations"]
    end

    subgraph EARTH["EARTH"]
        H1["Rectenna"]
    end

    R1 -->|"light"| L4
    L4 -->|"microwaves"| H1

    style SWARM fill:#e8e8a8
    style MOON fill:#d4e8a8
    style EARTH fill:#a8d4e8

Production Logic:

  1. Preparation (years 1-6): R&D and prototyping (years 1-4), lunar testbed (years 4-6). The Moon validates extraction, smelting, and assembly technologies in vacuum and low gravity conditions.

  2. Scaling (from year 6): Knowledge from the Moon is applied on Mercury. The Ground Zero Factory copies itself exponentially, reaching ~1650 factories (~1500 F-M + ~150 F-R). Mirrors are produced and sent to the Swarm.

  3. Energy cycle (from year 7): The Dyson Swarm reflects light to lunar LSP stations. LSP converts light to microwaves and transmits to Earth. Closed cycle: energy -> production -> more energy.

Why Two Locations Instead of One?

Factor Mercury Moon
Solar flux 9-14 kW/m^2 1.4 kW/m^2
Advantage Energy for smelting and self-replication Proximity to Earth (1.3 sec delay)
Specialization Mirrors + self-replication Testbed + LSP stations
Strategy Exponential growth Validation → LSP production

Mercury is an energy machine. 7x more sunlight means solar furnaces melt metal faster, panels generate more power, and the factory can copy itself without power constraints.

The Moon is the gateway to space. A 1.3-second communication delay allows operators to control the process in near real-time — ideal for technology validation (years 4-6). After validation, the Moon transitions to producing LSP stations from local resources (silicon, aluminum).

Materials Requirements

Key Takeaway: 94% of all materials are aluminum. Maximizing Al production line throughput is critical for project success.

Production Scale

Object Quantity Unit Mass Total Mass
Mirrors 1.1 billion 116 kg 127.5 million t
Mass Drivers 1,000 500 t 0.5 million t
Robots 60,000 380–1,500 kg 67,000 t
Factories 1,000 33 t 33,000 t
TOTAL ~128 million t

Material Distribution

Material Mass Share Primary Consumer
Aluminum (Al) ~121 million t 94.5% Mirrors (110 kg Al per mirror)
Iron (Fe) ~5.8 million t 4.5% Mirrors (5 kg Fe per mirror)
Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) 1.1 million t 0.85% Electrochromic mirror coating
Na, S, Si 8,660 t <0.01% Robot batteries

Project Mass Structure

pie showData
    title Mass Distribution (128 million t)
    "Mirrors" : 99.6
    "Mass Drivers" : 0.35
    "Robots + Factories" : 0.08

Production Priorities

  1. Aluminum is the bottleneck. 121 million tons of Al require maximum throughput from MRE and rolling mill lines.

  2. Mirrors = 99% of mass. Optimizing mirror production has the greatest impact on Swarm construction speed.

  3. Robots and factories are a drop in the bucket. 100,000 tons out of 129 million — less than 0.1%. Their production is not a limiting factor.

Production on Mercury

Preparatory phases (R&D, Earth and Moon testbeds) are described in the Roadmap.

Details: Roadmap

Ground Zero Factory

Detailed article: Factory Production — F-R and F-M layouts, factory types, material flows

First factory assembly: Bootstrap — checkpoint model, assembly scenarios

Project: Helios Prime Document: First Factory Technology Roadmap Status: 100% of components delivered from Earth

TL;DR

  • Concept: Self-replicating factory on Mercury, building copies of itself from local resources
  • Throughput: 600 t regolith/day -> 42 t Al + ~11 t Fe-Mn steel -> ~350 mirrors/day (F-M)
  • Power consumption: ~165 MW for the complex (factory ~124 MW + Mass Driver ~39 MW) - ~151 MW available from CPV (concentrators + GaAs)
  • 8 stages: geology -> energy -> panels -> silicate fabric -> hydraulics -> smelting -> forming -> assembly
  • Local production: silicon panels (aluminothermy), silicate domes, NaS batteries, hybrid Fe/Al robots
  • First expedition: ~72 tons from Earth (including 10.5 t CPV system), assembly in 7 days
  • Power reserve: CPV ~151 MW covers factory (~124 MW); Mass Driver (~39 MW) requires additional local Si panels
  • Assembly jig: 10 parallel positions -> 5 robots/day
  • Dome: ~1500 m^2 (~50x30 m) - continuous casting, rolling, assembly

General Principles

Parameter Value
Principle Gravity-flow line + Vacuum distillation
External environment Vacuum
Internal dome environment Oxygen 0.1 atm (local, from MRE)
Dome dimensions ~50x30 m (~1500 m^2)
Power consumption (factory only) ~124 MW (114 MW elec. + 10 MW thermal)
Power consumption (entire complex) ~165 MW (factory ~124 MW + Mass Driver ~39 MW)
Available energy (CPV system) ~151 MW (covers factory; MD requires additional local Si panels)

Note: The factory alone consumes ~124 MW (114 MW electrical + 10 MW thermal via solar furnaces). The full complex with Mass Driver (~39 MW) consumes ~165 MW. The CPV system (105,000 m² concentrators + GaAs cells, ~10.5 t) delivers ~151 MW at Mercury (~14.4 kW/kg) — covering the factory; Mass Driver requires additional local Si panels. See detailed calculation.

Dome Dimensions and Layout

Total area: ~1500 m^2 (~50x30 m) - under 0.1 atm oxygen pressure.

Zone Area Purpose
Continuous casting + tundish ~200 m^2 Billet casting
Rolling mill ~300 m^2 6 stands + roller tables
Wire drawing mill ~100 m^2 Wire, cables
Assembly jig ~500 m^2 10 robot positions
WAAM + grinding ~150 m^2 Finishing operations
Billet storage ~150 m^2 Product buffer
Passages and maneuvering ~100 m^2 Centaurs, loading

Dome height: 6-8 m (sufficient for 1 t capacity overhead crane).

Stage 0. Geology and Resources

Raw material base.

Mercury is an anomalous planet. A giant metallic core, only lightly covered with rocky crust. The richest deposit in the Solar System.

Abundant Elements

Element Content Application
Aluminum (Al) 6-8% of regolith (42 t/day at 600 t) Mirrors (110 kg Al/unit), robot bodies, radiators
Silicon (Si) ~20% of crust Solar panels, glass, ceramics, electronics
Sulfur (S) Anomalously high Insulator (sulfide concrete), chemistry, batteries
Iron (Fe) 1.5-4% of regolith (~11 t/day Fe-Mn steel output) Gen-2 Robots (frames, wheels), MD rails
Magnesium (Mg) Sufficient Light alloys
Titanium (Ti) Present in ilmenites TiO₂ for mirror electrochromics
Sodium (Na) From feldspars Coolant (liquid metal)
Potassium (K) From feldspars Coolant (liquid metal)

Scarce Elements (“Vitamins” from Earth)

Element Problem Solution
Carbon (C) 1-3% in LRM zones Graphite: Hadfield steel, lubricants, anodes (MESSENGER 2016)
Hydrogen (H) Only polar ice Extraction from craters
Copper (Cu) Scarce Aluminum or sodium wires in steel tubes
Glass fiber bushings Al₂O₃ (local) Al₂O₃ ceramics — proven alternative to Pt-Rh
Grinding abrasives Need grinding tools Al₂O₃ corundum from local Al — unlimited supply
Iridium (Ir) Absent Import from Earth (MRE anodes)
Rare earths Critical for electronics Import from Earth
Argon (Ar) From regolith Cover gas for casting/refining (WAAM uses FCAW-S — no argon needed)
Oxygen (O2) From MRE (~1500 t/day) Dome atmosphere (0.1 atm)

Volatile Compounds

Water ice (H2O): Located at the bottom of polar craters. Source of hydrogen (chemistry) and oxygen (oxidizer).

“Carbon” Graphite Mining Complexes

LRM zones (with graphite) are located at equatorial latitudes, while factories are at poles. Solution: two specialized complexes.

Complex Location Delivery to pole
Carbon-North Rachmaninoff (27 deg N) Mini MD, ~2800 km
Carbon-South Tolstoj (16 deg S) Mini MD, ~5800 km

Operating in shifts (equatorial night ~44 days). Details: Regolith Processing

Import vs localization:

Phase Factories Recommendation
1-2 1-10 Import iridium - simpler and cheaper
3 10-100 Consider Carbon complex
4+ 100+ Build extraction at LRM

Conclusion: The base factory operates without carbon (manganese steels, Si3N4 ceramics, iridium anodes). Carbon is an optimization for scaling, not a critical dependency.

Stage 1. Energy

Generation. Without this stage the factory is a pile of metal.

Solar Boost

Mercury receives 9-14 kW/m² of solar flux (vs 1.3 kW/m² on Earth) — a fundamental advantage for energy.

Power Towers

Installed on “Peaks of Eternal Light” (crater rims):

Component Description
Mirrors Kapton with Al coating, 50 g/m², deploy on carbon fiber spokes
Photocells Multi-junction GaAs (30-40% efficiency)
Cooling NaK circulates inside mast → radiator in shadow (−150°C)
Cryogenic power line Aluminum at −150°C — resistance 10× lower

Details: Cryogenic aluminum cable

Energy Consumption per Complex

Consumer Power Note
Mass driver (average) 33 MW 600 launches/day × 4.8 GJ
Solar furnaces (melting) 10 MW Concentrators
Mirror production 5 MW Rolling, welding, packaging
Robots (~50 units × 5 kW) 0.3 MW Battery-powered
Control and communication 2 MW IT infrastructure
TOTAL ~165 MW Factory ~124 MW + Mass Driver ~39 MW

Energy balance at launch: - CPV system = ~151 MW (~10.5 t: Kapton+Al concentrators + GaAs + structure) - Covers factory (~124 MW); Mass Driver (~39 MW) requires additional local Si panels

Local Panel Production

For scaling — silicon panels from local materials (aluminothermy).

Details: Silicon Production

Stage 2. Hydraulics and Fluids

Details: Hydraulics and Fluids

Coolant system (NaK) and lubrication (MoS2/vacuum oils) for operation in vacuum conditions.

Regolith Processing

Details: Regolith Processing

Full cycle: crushing -> smelting -> MRE electrolysis -> separation into Fe, Al, Si, Ti, S -> transit to dome.

Stage 6. Battery Production

Details: Battery Production

NaS batteries (sodium-sulfur) from local materials: 150-240 Wh/kg, 15-year lifespan.

Stage 7. Forming

Clean zone - INSIDE THE DOME.

Gas environment already present here (oxygen 0.1 atm).

Continuous Casting Machine (CCM)

Liquid metal from the tundish solidifies in profile form.

Parameter Value
Type Billet (100x100 mm square)
Mold material Steel + MgO lining (local)
Cooling NaK circuit (not water!)
Withdrawal speed 0.5-1 m/min

Rolling Mill

Converting billets into bar and wire for WAAM.

Stage Parameters
Heating furnace Induction, 1100-1200 deg C, nitrogen atmosphere
Rolling mill 6 stands, input 100x100 mm -> output dia. 20 mm
Wire drawing mill Si₃N₄ ceramic dies (local, 3x lifespan), output dia. 1.6-2.0 mm

Metal 3D Printer (WAAM)

Parameter Value
Method Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
Principle Robot melts wire with arc, depositing layer by layer
Material Wire dia. 1.6 mm (from rolling mill)
Shielding environment FCAW-S (self-shielded flux-cored wire)
Products Complex parts: housings, brackets, frames

Abrasive Grinding

Parameter Value
Purpose Finishing after WAAM and casting
Equipment Centaur-M robot with grinding head
Coolant Not required (vacuum, dry grinding)
Abrasive Al₂O₃ corundum (local production from regolith)

Stage 8. Assembly

Assembly shop.

Assembly Jig

Final point. 10 parallel positions - manipulator robots (Centaur-M) connect:

Component Source
Bones Aluminum frames and wheels (local)
Heart Sodium-sulfur battery (local)
Brains Control unit and sensors (from Earth, “Vitamins” storage)

Throughput: - Assembly time per robot: 48 hours per position - Parallel positions: 10 - Total: 5 robots/day per factory

Cycle: 48 hours on position -> new robot leaves jig -> airlock -> charging -> drives off to dig ore.

Factory Line Throughput

Line Throughput Bottleneck?
Regolith extraction 600 t/day 6 Moles x ~100 t/day
Solar furnace + MRE >600 t/day Excess capacity
Aluminum output 42 t/day 600 x 7%
Fe-Mn steel output ~11 t/day MRE + titanium line
Foil rolling (F-M) ~350 mirrors/day 42 t / 110 kg Al × 0.92
Assembly jig (F-R) 5 robots/day Expandable

Gen-2 Robots: Classes and Specifications

Second-generation robots are produced on-site from hybrid Fe/Al alloy.

Class Mass Materials Battery Power Purpose
Mole-M ~1500 kg Fe 83% + Al 15% 10 kV cable 30 kW Regolith extraction
Crab-M ~1000 kg Fe 35% + Al 47% NaS 20 kWh 10 kW Logistics, MD buffer
Centaur-M ~380 kg Fe 22% + Al 63% NaS 5 kWh + cable 5 kW Assembly, maintenance
Average ~960 kg Fe 58% + Al 32% - - -

Gen-2 vs Gen-1 Differences:

Aspect Gen-1 (from Earth) Gen-2 (local)
Material Ti + carbon fiber Fe + Al (local)
Mass 120-950 kg 380-1500 kg
Battery Li-Ion NaS (local)
Lifespan 2-3 years 5+ years
Repairability Difficult (parts from Earth) Easy (all local)

F-R Material Balance (5 robots/day): - Fe for robots: 5 x ~560 kg = ~2.8 t/day (of 11 t available) - Al for robots: 5 x ~300 kg = ~1.5 t/day (of 42 t available) - Remaining Al (~40.5 t/day) -> domes, equipment, MD components

Details: Robot Bestiary

Robot Power Supply Infrastructure

Hybrid system: cable inside + stations outside.

Centaur-M operates in two zones: inside the protective dome (70%) and outside (30%). Each zone has its own solution.

Inside Dome: Cable System

Parameter Value
Connection points 8-10 (around shop perimeter)
Cable length per robot 50 m
Voltage 400 V DC
Cross-section 4 mm^2 Al
Cable + reel mass ~15 kg

Outside: Charging Stations

Location Stations Purpose
Dome airlock 2 Before/after excursion
Mass Driver entrance 2 MD maintenance
Solar panels 2 Power system maintenance
Total 6

Outdoor work mode: Shift-based - one Centaur works (40 min), another charges.

Overall Complex Infrastructure Diagram

flowchart TB
    subgraph MD["MASS DRIVER (1 km)"]
        MD_IN["⚡ entrance"] --> MD_TRACK["track 1 km"] --> MD_OUT["exit →"]
    end

    MD_IN --> CS1["⚡ Crab station"]
    CS1 --> BUF["BUFFER (1500 pcs)<br/>⚡ Crab station"]

    BUF --> INT1["⚡ intermediate"]
    BUF --> ST["⚡ station"]
    BUF --> INT2["⚡ intermediate"]

    INT1 --> Q1["Quarry 1<br/>Mole-M (cable)"]
    INT2 --> Q2["Quarry 2<br/>Mole-M (cable)"]

    ST --> FAC["FACTORY (dome)<br/>⚡⚡⚡⚡ Crabs entrance<br/>Centaurs (cable 50m)<br/>⚡⚡⚡⚡ Crabs exit<br/>⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡ airlock+charging"]

    FAC --> EXT["⚡ station outside"]
    EXT --> Q3["Quarry 3<br/>Mole-M (cable)"]

    style MD fill:#f0f0f0,stroke:#333
    style FAC fill:#e8f4e8,stroke:#2a2
    style BUF fill:#f4f4e8,stroke:#aa2

Legend: ⚡ = charging station | Cable = power connection for Moles

Infrastructure Summary per Complex

Component Quantity Type Robot
Cable points (10 kV) 6 High-voltage Mole-M
Charging stations 12-15 Fast charging Crab-M
Points inside dome (400 V) 8-10 Low-voltage Centaur-M
Stations outside 6 Fast charging Centaur-M
Total points ~35-37

Scale for 1000 Factories

Component Per 1 factory Per 1000 factories
Cable points (Mole) 6 6,000
Charging stations (Crab) 15 15,000
Points inside (Centaur) 10 10,000
Stations outside (Centaur) 6 6,000
Total ~37 ~37,000

Details: Robot Bestiary - Centaur-M

First Factory Assembly (Bootstrap)

Details: First Factory Assembly (Bootstrap)

Critical checkpoint: energy autonomy within 12-24 hours.

Gen-1 robots are light but limited by batteries (Li-S, 15-24 hour autonomy). Before charging infrastructure deployment, time is critical.

Solution: Checkpoint model — achieve energy autonomy within 12-24 hours, after which assembly time is constrained only by Gen-1 lifespan (2-3 years).

Assembly Scenarios

Scenario Before checkpoint After Total
Optimistic 12 h 6 days 7 days
Realistic 24 h 10-15 days 11-16 days
Pessimistic 48 h 20-30 days 22-32 days

Key insight: After checkpoint (24 h), time is not critical.

Self-Replication

Details: Self-Replication

Energy Bootstrap (~151 MW from CPV from day one), exponential factory growth (1 -> 1000 in 16 weeks), 4 deployment phases.

Mercury Mass Driver

Electromagnetic catapult for launching mirrors into orbit.

Parameter Value
Length 1 km
Exit velocity 5 km/s
Mass ~500 t
Throughput 600 launches/day (70 t/day)
Energy per launch 4.7 GJ

Details: Mass Driver

Real Automated Factory Prototypes

Xiaomi Factory in Wuhan (October 2025)

The first fully automated Xiaomi home appliances factory - a real prototype of the technologies described in the book.

Parameter Value
Throughput 1 air conditioner every 6.5 seconds, 7 million units/year
Operating mode “Lights-out” - casting and metalworking shops operate without lighting or people
Autonomous robots 161 units for internal logistics (covering 90% of movements)
Conveyor system 4.2 km of overhead conveyors connecting 6 shops
Quality control AI visual inspection, 100% testing (not sampling), accuracy +/-0.05 mm
First-pass yield >99%

Connection to the book:

The Ground Zero Factory is a scaled version of this concept. 2025 technologies demonstrate that the basic principles of unmanned manufacturing already work on Earth. The difference:

  • Xiaomi: produces one type of product (air conditioners) from ready-made components
  • Ground Zero: produces its own components and copies of itself from raw materials (self-replication)

Mirror Disposal

With an ~8-year lifespan and a billion mirrors, ~100-200 million units fail annually. Without a disposal mechanism, this would create space debris accumulation.

Solution: Self-disposal through solar descent.

Principle: A mirror is a solar sail. When tilted at an angle to the Sun, a tangential force is created that decelerates orbital motion. The orbit descends in a spiral until burning up in the solar corona.

Condition Action
Efficiency < 30% Automatic transition to disposal mode
Loss of contact > 30 days Autonomous decision by onboard software
Command from Earth Forced disposal
Parameter Value
Initial orbit ~0.4 AU (Mercury’s orbit)
Light pressure ~60 uPa
Descent time 6-12 months
End point Solar corona (burn-up)

Failsafe: Upon complete electronics failure, the mirror loses control -> chaotic rotation -> zero thrust -> remains in orbit but doesn’t interfere (distances ~km between mirrors).

Details: Swarm Mirrors

Known Factory Limitations

Note: This section describes problems specific to production. Overall project risk analysis: Risks and Limitations.

Critical Problems

1. Iridium Deficit

Parameter Value
For 1000 factories over 10 years ~400 tons
World production ~7 t/year (70 t over 10 years)
Deficit ~6x world production

High Priority Problems

  • MHD pump: power consumption underestimated by 25x (20 kW -> 500 kW actual)
  • Cooling radiators: mass not accounted for (100-200 tons)
  • IT infrastructure: underestimated by 100-200x (50 kW -> 5-10 MW)

Require Research

  • Electrostatics during fiberglass production in vacuum
  • NaS battery thermal regime during Mercury night (88 Earth days)
  • Distributed control of 1000 autonomous factories

Assembly Lines

After regolith processing, clean materials are obtained: aluminum, iron, silicon, magnesium, titanium, and others. These materials go into producing components, which are then assembled into finished products.

Process: Materials -> Components -> Products

flowchart LR
    subgraph MAT["MATERIALS"]
        M1["Al, Fe, Si"]
    end

    subgraph CMP["COMPONENTS"]
        C1["Rails"]
        C2["Frame"]
        C3["Capacitors"]
        C4["Cooling"]
    end

    subgraph ASM["FINISHED PRODUCTS"]
        A1["Mass Driver"]
        A2["Robots"]
        A3["Mirrors"]
    end

    M1 --> C1
    M1 --> C2
    M1 --> C3
    M1 --> C4
    C1 --> A1
    C2 --> A1
    C3 --> A1
    C4 --> A1

    style MAT fill:#e8d4a8
    style CMP fill:#d4e8a8
    style ASM fill:#a8d4e8

Example: Mass Driver Assembly

Stage 1: Component Production (2-3 weeks)

Component Line Materials Mass
Rails and coils Al forming Al 220 t
Tunnel frame Fe welding Fe 270 t
Capacitors Electronics Si, Al 20 t
Cooling Radiators Al, NaK 75 t
Platform Mechanical Fe, Al 5 t
Electronics Import (Vitamins) 0.142 t

Stage 2: Final Assembly (1 week)

5-10 assembly robots (ROB-022 Centaur-M) mount components into a unified structure:

  1. Tunnel frame installation (3 days)
  2. Rails and coils mounting (2 days)
  3. Capacitor and cooling connection (1 day)
  4. Spin platform installation (1 day)
  5. Electronics integration and testing (1 day)

Result: EQU-001 (Mass Driver), ~500 t, 33 MW peak power

Example: Gen-2 Robot Assembly

Stage 1: Component Production (4-6 hours)

Component Line Output
Motors Electric motors CMP-011
NaS batteries Batteries CMP-012
Chassis Forming CMP-013
Hydraulics Pumps CMP-014
Electronics Import CMP-001

Stage 2: Final Assembly (2-4 hours)

F-A1 manipulators on conveyor: 1. Chassis + motors assembly (1 hour) 2. Battery installation (30 min) 3. Hydraulics mounting (30 min) 4. Electronics integration (1 hour) 5. Calibration and testing (30 min)

Throughput: 5000 robots/day at 1000 factories (5 robots/day per factory)

Production on the Moon

The Moon performs two critical functions: testbed (years 4-6) and specialized manufacturer (years 7+).

Why the Moon?

Advantage Value
Communication delay 1.3 sec (vs 5-20 min to Mercury)
Delivery cost 60x cheaper than to Mercury
Control Earth operators can intervene in real-time
Resources Silicon 20%, iron 10%

Mistakes on the Moon are cheaper. If a robot gets stuck, the operator sees it in 2.6 seconds and can help. On Mercury, the same situation requires 10+ minutes of waiting.

Testbed (years 4-6)

Before sending the factory to Mercury, all technologies are validated on the Moon:

Technology Moon Test
Regolith extraction Moles learn to dig in 0.16g
Metal smelting Solar furnace at 1.4 kW/m^2
Robot assembly Centaurs assemble Gen-2
Mass Driver Test launches before Mercury

Result: By year 6, the team understands all production pitfalls in space.

Lunar Mass Driver

Test prototype for technology validation before Mercury.

Parameter Value
Length 0.5-1 km
Exit velocity 2.5 km/s
Energy per ton 3-4 GJ (1.5x more efficient than Mercury)
Purpose Technology testing

Why shorter than Mercury’s? Moon gravity is 0.16g (vs 0.38g on Mercury). Lower velocity = shorter acceleration track.

LSP Station Construction

The Moon builds LSP stations at limbs for receiving energy from the Swarm:

Component Material Source
Photovoltaics Silicon Moon (regolith)
Structure Aluminum Moon (anorthosite)
Antennas Aluminum Moon

Process: Lunar factories produce modules -> rovers deliver to limbs -> robots assemble stations.

Moon Power Supply

Phase Source Power
1 (years 4-6) Solar panels 10-50 MW
2 (years 7+) Energy from Swarm via LSP 0.01 PW

Night problem: Lunar night lasts 14 Earth days. Factories stop, batteries discharge. Solution - batteries + energy from Swarm (when LSP becomes operational).

Production Comparison

Aspect Mercury Moon
Solar flux 9-14 kW/m^2 1.4 kW/m^2
Strategy Self-replication Direct delivery
Main product Mirrors (~350,000/day) LSP stations
Secondary product Gen-2 robots Gen-2 robots (test)
Mass Driver 5 km/s, 2-3 km 2.5 km/s, 0.5-1 km (test)
Purpose Dyson Swarm Testbed + energy reception
Control Autonomous (AI) Manual (1.3 sec)
Initial investment 62 t (one factory) ~100 t (components)
Ramp-up 0 years 1-2 years
Night downtime None (poles) 14 days/month

Why Not Mercury Only?

Testbed. Technology validation on Mercury is too risky: 8-20 minute communication delay, delivery takes months. On the Moon: 1.3 sec delay, 3-day delivery. Moon mistakes are fixed quickly and cheaply.

LSP stations. Energy from the Swarm must be received on the Moon - it’s visible from Earth. Microwaves from Mercury’s surface won’t reach Earth.

Why Not Moon Only?

Energy. 1.4 kW/m^2 vs 10 kW/m^2 - a 7x difference. Self-replication on the Moon would require 7x more panels and time. Exponential growth stalls.

Night. 14 days without sun every month. Factories idle, batteries discharge. On Mercury’s poles, the sun shines constantly.

Logistics Between Objects

Material Flows

flowchart TD
    subgraph EARTH["EARTH"]
        E1[/"First expedition<br/>62 t"/]
        E2[/"Vitamins<br/>rare earths, W, Ir"/]
    end

    subgraph MERCURY["MERCURY (pole)"]
        M1["Factory"]
        M2["Mass Driver"]
        M3[/"Mirrors"/]
    end

    subgraph SWARM["SWARM (orbit)"]
        R1["1.1 billion mirrors"]
    end

    subgraph MOON["MOON"]
        L1["Testbed"]
        L2["MD (test)"]
        L3[/"LSP stations"/]
    end

    subgraph EARTH2["EARTH (reception)"]
        H1["Rectenna"]
    end

    E1 -->|"year 6"| M1
    E2 -->|"years 6+"| M1
    M1 --> M2
    M2 --> M3
    M3 --> R1
    R1 -->|"light"| L3
    L3 -->|"microwaves"| H1

    L1 -->|"validation"| M1

    style EARTH fill:#a8d4e8
    style EARTH2 fill:#a8d4e8
    style MERCURY fill:#e8d4a8
    style SWARM fill:#e8e8a8
    style MOON fill:#d4e8a8

Earth -> Mercury

Cargo When Mass
First factory Year 0 62 t
Vitamins (factories) Years 1-10 ~85 kg/factory/year
Mirror electronics Years 7-15 ~1,055 t (total)

Vitamins are what Mercury doesn’t have: electronics (controllers, sensors), iridium (MRE anodes), rare earths (magnets).

Mirror electronics — thanks to Mother-Children architecture, import is reduced by 98%:

Component Quantity Mass/unit Import
Mother chips 1.1 M 50 g 55 t
Child decoders (phase 1) ~500 M 2 g ~1,000 t
Child receivers (phase 2) ~600 M 0 g 0 t (local)
Total 1.1 B ~1,055 t

Without optimization: 55,000 t (1,100 Starship). With Mother-Children: 21 Starship.

Mercury -> Swarm

Parameter Value
Product Mirrors (116 kg, 100x100 m)
Rate 600,000 units/day (1,500 F-M x 400/day)
Flight time Several months
Orbit 0.1-0.2 AU from Sun

Moon: LSP Stations

Parameter Value
Products LSP station modules
Location Moon limbs (east/west)
Purpose Receive energy from Swarm, transmit to Earth

Moon -> Earth (energy)

Parameter Value
Power 1 PW (50x world consumption)
Transmission method Microwaves
Receivers Rectenna (deserts, steppes)

Closed Energy Cycle

After LSP launch (year 6-7), energy begins circulating:

  1. Swarm reflects light -> LSP stations on Moon
  2. LSP converts to microwaves -> Rectenna on Earth (1 PW)
  3. Part of energy -> production on Moon (0.01 PW)
  4. Part of energy -> Mercury (reserve)

Result: Self-sustaining system. Factories produce mirrors -> mirrors provide energy -> energy powers factories and Earth.

See Also