system and logistics costs also increase, resulting in a severe overall cost penalty for the use of solar power versus nuclear power as the lunar base power demand increases. For example, Ref. [3] includes an estimated mass penalty in LEO of 930 metric tons for a solar versus nuclear power system requiring ten additional heavy lift launch vehicles (HLLVs). Reference [4] estimates the power system mass penalties for an advanced solar versus a lunar surface shielded nuclear power system as follows: Reference [4] also estimates severe solar power system penalties for Martian bases. The above mass penalties represent significant additional costs when the total cost of supplying power to the lunar base is estimated. The elements of the total cost include all the launch vehicle and transportation costs, the costs of logistic fuel, the power system costs, and the development costs associated with the power system. The launch cost alone is estimated at $1.25-2.5 million per metric ton for an HLLV. There are
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