[lightedman]

"What is it computing up there."

Hyperspectral satellite imagery - think ASTER/LANDSAT/MODIS but more modern, for surficial minerals study.

"How did you get it up?"

How else? Paid a rocket company to launch it into orbit after proving various flightworthiness tests and getting various certifications and permissions from relevant gov't authorities.

"How does one usually talk with their satellite. I guess you don't merely have a dish since it's probably not geostationary."

K-band. Don't need tons of power, just a good LoS from ground on your target. And yea, not Geostat, I'm in LEO.

[crote]

Right, so a regular satellite. That's indeed as relevant to the multi-100kW-scale "space datacenter" idiots like Musk are proposing as naval SMRs are to commercial power plants.

[lightedman]

All satellites are regular satellites, there is literally nothing special about anything in orbit outside of what it carries - it's still just a falling body in space.

100kw is literally nothing to generate in space. At typical silicon efficiencies that's football field in size, and about 70% that if you jump to more expensive multi-junction cells. I can make a folding panel the size of a compact car that'd unfurl out to cover that. That's maybe 4 hours in NX just retooling my current design. The only limitation is the capabilities of the launch vehicle.

I've already got one small (single 4U) datacenter in orbit. It works. It works GREAT. It can scale up to constellation quantity.

And I don't have to waste any water for cooling or constantly pollute the air for power generation or throw extra waste heat into our atmosphere, as a side bonus.

It makes plenty of sense to those with the education. What's hilarious is I'm doing all this on a GED.