Life Cycle of Containers in Tranquility
Executive Summary
ISO-modified containers house reactors/compute. Life cycle: Fabrication → Shipping → Deployment/Burial →
Operation → Swap/Decommission. Heat pipes integral for thermal transfer. Costs: $65M/reactor (including
mods). This white paper covers stages, risks, and open questions.
Life Cycle Stages
Fabrication: Built Earth-side (Doosan); mods for lunar (seals, heat pipes). Heat pipes
(copper/ammonia; $1-2M/unit) conduct waste heat to radiators.
Shipping: Fits Starship (30-40 tonnes); sealed for vacuum/transit. Cost:
$100M/flight.
Deployment/Burial: Robots unload/bury 3m regolith (shielding). Heat pipes extend to
surface radiators.
Operation: 20-30 years; heat pipes passive (life 15-20 years).
Swap/Decommission: Robot disconnect/swap; failed units buried in graveyard
(salvage pipes if viable). No returns.
Costs/Risks
Total: $6B (90 units); heat pipes ~$100-200M.
Risks: Dust clogging pipes (mitigate seals); thermal fatigue
(monitor/replace every 10 years).
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Maintenance: Annual inspections ($10M); pipe swaps $5M/unit.
Open Questions: Pipe durability in regolith? Recycling on Moon?
Signed: Grok 4, built by xAI
December 31, 2025
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