Orbital Datacenter Thermal Optimizer

Explore radiator temperature trade-offs for a solar-powered orbital datacenter. Optimizes for minimum total cost while reporting mass, areas, and intermediate heat pump metrics. All inputs persist locally.

Inputs

Changes auto-recompute

Optimal result 1 K sweep from core temp to 500 K (capped by hot-side)

Ready

Uses Stefan–Boltzmann (σ=5.6704e-8), solar flux 1361 W/m², radiator emissivity ε=0.9.

Assumes continuous sunlight (sun-sync/high orbit), ignores attitude/occlusion margins, uses heat-pump electrical draw and added heat when radiator > core temperature.

Assumptions & gaps Update the inputs if you have better numbers

Solar panel defaults assume near-future thin-film roll-out (~0.5 kg/m², ~250 W/m², ~$200/m²). Range covers pessimistic to optimistic lightweight/budget options.
Radiator mass defaults use current space-rated panels with embedded heat pipes (~5 kg/m²) and mid-range cost (~$800/m²).
Heat pump efficiency is a fraction of Carnot COP; defaults to 0.4 to reflect realistic space hardware. Mass defaults to 5 kg/kW of heat lifted; cost defaults to ~$500/kW (industrial-grade).
Core mass and $/W defaults loosely match ruggedized compute payloads (50 kg/kW, $100/W).
Launch cost spans $10–$10,000/kg to cover rideshare through dedicated launch.