Musk runs the numbers: space radiators dissipate ~1300 W/m², making orbital datacenters feasible
elonmusk · x · 2026-11-03
Responding to doubts about space datacenters, Musk argues cooling in orbit is actually easier: an aluminum radiator pointed away from the Sun can dissipate 1300 W/m² against the 3K cosmic background, while solar panels generate only 250 W/m² — so panels need 5x the radiator area, and most satellite mass is solar panels.
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