The Settlement of Space: Economical and Logistical Drivers and Constraints

Abstract

This work is part of the BIS SPACE technical project studying long term possibilities for an expansion of industrial civilisation on Earth and in space. This paper traces the potential development of space settlements through four ‘generations’, driven and constrained by various economic, physical, and cultural factors. To provide a context for later work, time scales and orders of magnitudes are estimated together with constraints and drivers for space settlement. Following papers will explore the technology of fast transits within the Solar System required to support the economic model and define a fleet of interplanetary craft, based on flow stabilized Z-pinch fusion engines. Keywords: SPACE Project, In-Situ Resource Utilization, Space Settlement, Fission and Fusion Powered Spaceships, Interplanetary Logistics, Dyson Swarm, Kardashev Type I and II