Roadmap / Transportation / Space

Space recycling of satellites rather than de-orbit

Update · October 2026

~2039On track

Progress is in line with our expected timing.

Our original analysis (2021)

It’s the early 2040s, and the “space for space” economy is fully operational. So much space infrastructure has been built (habitats, manufacturing facilities, edge compute clusters, propellant depots, etc) that there is value in retrieving and recycling the retired satellites in the graveyard orbit above GEO. The solar panels can be repurposed for new spacecraft that are being built in space. The structural frame for the bus can be melted down if it’s metallic, or salvaged if it's carbon fiber. In situ resource utilization takes on a whole new meaning when you’ve built up the space ecosystem enough that it benefits from a recycling center!

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