Vast Space, startup founded by the cryptocurrency billionaire Jed McCaleb (estimated assets: $ 2,5 billion), plans to establish an orbiting space station equipped with artificial gravity.
McCaleb (not only him, ed) imagines a future in which millions of people will live throughout the solar system. Given the efforts of other companies to reduce the costs of launches, the Californian tycoon believes the next important step will be the creation of large structures for people to live and work in space.
“The Earth has limited resources, but there is immense untapped wealth in the solar system: so much energy and matter to support many Earths,” says McCaleb. “And then humanity needs a new frontier. We haven't had one in a while. Without a border the world becomes a zero-sum game, and this is harmful to the psyche of a civilization."
Vast Space, power to the little ones
Vast Space's activities will not have very different dynamics from those of any startup. For this, initially its activities will be financed by the wealthy guy who decided to create it.
And, again for this reason, it will need investors in the long run.
Today, however, Vast Space has enough resources to get going: the "problems" will arise when sending (or more likely assembling) a space station into low orbit. And with those characteristics, then: stable and continuous artificial gravity is not created in five minutes.
As such, Vast's biggest short-term challenge is building a world-class engineering team capable of tackling any problem. His life or his death will literally depend on the quality of his engineering team.
Artificial gravity space station, the unknowns to face
The start of Vast Space isn't bad. Among the 20 employees currently employed by the startup there are many people from SpaceX.
From Musk's company came the former vice president for structures, the chief engineers for robotics, systems, propulsion. They will help solve the problems that hinder the "jump" of humans into the solar system.
First and foremost: the long-term impact of microgravity on health. It can be really serious. This is why Vast focuses on the creation of a rotating structure that creates real artificial gravity.
Of attempts around I've seen so many, but all on baby (or very small) ladder. Creating such a thing large enough to accommodate people, managing and controlling its rotational motion, must be challenging.
And the tests? Obviously, those of the modules must be made in space: down here we would have to deal with the Earth's gravity.
For this reason I can only say good luck to McCaleb. Whether for personal vanity, economic interest or passion, any strong investment that can preserve the human species for generations to come is welcome.
