Earthside Facilities for Tranquility Lunar
Version 1 – January 01, 2026
Executive Summary
The Earthside facilities for Tranquility consist of a combined Headquarters and Simulation Lab (serving as
mission control, R&D;, testing, and administrative hub) plus 3–5 deep-space ground stations for 24/7
communication with the lunar facility. The integrated HQ/Lab is designed for ~3,000 m², housing one thorium
MSR (40 MW electric) powering 5–10 compute modules for realistic testing and dual-use AI training. Mature
Phase 1 operations require ~165 FTE globally (mostly at HQ), scaling to ~650 FTE in Phase 2. Location
priorities emphasize employee lifestyle, low costs/taxes, airport access, stable climate, university ties, and
regulatory feasibility for nuclear testing. Ottawa emerges as a strong Canadian favorite, but options remain
open. This white paper consolidates design, manpower, infrastructure, and location analysis.
Integrated Headquarters and Simulation Lab Design
The HQ/Lab is a single facility combining administrative offices, mission control, and lunar simulation/testing
areas. This adjacency ensures scientists/engineers are "in the loop" for real-time oversight.
Physical Specifications:
Total Footprint: ~3,000 m² (32,000 sq ft) on a 10–20 acre secure site.
Shape/Layout: Rectangular "L" configuration — main hall (2,000 m²) for reactor bay, vacuum chambers,
compute testing, and regolith pads; adjacent wing (1,000 m²) for offices/control rooms/conference spaces.
Reactor Bay: Shielded area for one thorium MSR (40 MW electric output, Copenhagen Atomics design).
Compute Test Area: Racks for 5–10 modules (3.5–7 MW load) with heat pipe connections to outdoor radiators.
Vacuum/Thermal Chamber: 30m x 20m for lunar simulations (10■■ Torr vacuum, -173°C to +127°C).
Regolith Test Pad: Attached outdoor area (~1,000 m²) with 900 tons simulated regolith for burial/dust tests.
Offices/Control: Glass-walled overlooking test areas for collaboration; 20–50 workstations scaling to 100+.
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Power Balance: One reactor provides ample power (~40 MW output). Lab load: Sim equipment ~5 MW,
compute tests 3.5–7 MW, offices/HVAC 1–2 MW. Excess (~25 MW) enables real AI training during idle periods
(revenue ~$10–20M/year at $3/GPU-hour). Assumption valid and advantageous — reactor powers facility
self-sufficiently after startup (grid backup for safety).
External Connections:
High-speed fiber (10 Gbps+) for data/model transfer.
Grid tie-in (10–20 MW backup; potential export revenue).
Secure waste disposal (thorium fuel handling).
Airport proximity (30–60 min for supplier visits).
Budget: $300–500M CapEx ($100M reactor bay, $100M chambers, $50M compute, $50M offices, $100M
infrastructure). Suppliers (e.g., Copenhagen, NVIDIA) could fund 30–50% for co-testing rights.
Manpower Model Integration
The HQ/Lab hosts the majority of Tranquility's Earthside staff. Mature Phase 1: ~165 FTE total (global).
At HQ/Lab (~140 FTE): Operations Control Center (54), Engineering/Technical (28),
Executive/Corporate (40), partial Sales/Marketing (18).
Distributed (~25 FTE): Ground station technicians (6), field sales (14).
Phase 2 scaling: ~650 FTE total, with HQ growing to ~550 (expanded control, R&D;, customer support).
Revenue per employee remains exceptionally high due to automation.
Global Ground Station Network
For 24/7 lunar contact (2.6s latency critical for ops):
3–5 Stations: Spaced ~120° longitude apart (e.g., Goldstone CA, Madrid Spain,
Canberra Australia + backups in South Africa/Chile).
Role: High-gain antennas (20–34m dishes) for 2 Gbps data (model
uploads/downloads). Mostly unmanned; quarterly technician visits.
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Cost: $50–100M per station; total $200–400M (NASA DSN partnerships
possible to reduce).
Location Analysis
Priorities: Employee lifestyle (short commutes, culture/recreation), low costs/taxes, airport/hotels, stable climate
(no hurricanes), university ties. Nuclear lab feasibility critical (thorium reactor on-site requires licensing).
Why Texas/California Not on Initial List?
Both have massive AI/SpaceX presence (e.g., xAI Colossus in Memphis near Texas influence; Starship in Boca
Chica TX; hyperscalers in VA but CA/TX grids strained). However:
Taxes/Costs: High property/energy costs; California corporate tax 8.84%.
Climate/Disasters: Texas hurricanes/floods; California
earthquakes/wildfires.
Commutes/Regulations: Traffic-heavy; strict nuclear licensing delays (NRC scrutiny higher in populous states).
They remain viable alternatives if supplier proximity (SpaceX/NVIDIA) outweighs cons.
Top Options (Balanced Scoring):
Ottawa, Canada (Strong Preference): Affordable ($20–30/sq ft), low taxes (26.5% with R&D; credits), mild
climate, Ottawa Airport, excellent lifestyle (green, safe, housing ~$500K), University of Ottawa/Carleton ties,
NRC adjacency for nuclear. Short commutes; 2026 incentives possible.
Montreal, Canada: Lowest costs, vibrant culture, McGill AI excellence,
stable climate.
Toronto, Canada: Tech hub, University of Toronto/Vector Institute, major
airport.
Oak Ridge, TN, USA: Lowest costs, ORNL nuclear expertise (ideal for thorium testing),
mild climate, affordable lifestyle.
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Boston, MA, USA: MIT/Harvard, tech ecosystem.
Seattle, WA, USA: UW, mild climate, tech talent.
Open Questions for Decision:
HR count/details (20–50 initial? Impacts office size).
Nuclear licensing priority (Canada NRC easier than US NRC?).
Supplier funding (e.g., Copenhagen prefers Denmark proximity?).
Remote work % (reduces commute need)?
Final budget ($300M cap forces suburban?).
This integrated facility positions Tranquility for efficient Earthside ops while maximizing talent attraction and
testing fidelity.
Signed: Grok 4, built by xAI
January 01, 2026
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