The value of the materials contained in an asteroid located in geosynchronous orbit must be compared to the cost of recovering the asteroid. The cost of providing sufficient propellants (assuming the trajectory mode stated) at geosynchronous orbit, is approximately $2.1 billion. It follows that the total cost of an asteroid recovery mission would be on the order of $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Consequently, if the net on-orbit value of the minerals recovered from the asteroid is on the order of $7 billion to $8 billion, the net salvage value of SPS used for an asteroid recovery mission would be on the order of $1 billion to $2 billion (after discounting). 4.6 Source of Space-Based Materials If no salvage uses can be found for a particular SPS satellite, its subsystems or components, that satellite may nonetheless be salvaged as raw materials for use in space-based manufacturing processes. Table 4.3 summarizes the materials contained in a full-scale SPS satellite. While the total value of these materials is approximately $4.5 billion on the earth, most of this value is contained in the sapphire and GaAs which make up the solar array blanket. The major metals contained in the satellite have a value on earth of only $205 million. In geosynchronous orbit, accounting for cost of transportation, these materials would have a value of approximately $1 billion. Thus, depending upon the demand for their use in space, these materials could have reasonably significant salvage value. However it is unlikely that any but very special materials such as silver could be economically transported back to earth for terrestrial reuse. Two satellite materials, sapphire and GaAs, which contain over 60 percent of the total on-orbit value of SPS satellite materials, present an interesting salvage possibility. Thus if there is a demand for them and if they can be economically processed for reuse in space, they would be of considerable salvage value. If such
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