The hottest Substack posts of The efficient frontier

And their main takeaways

Starship, Starlink, and some SpaceX-conomics

78 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Space Exploration Economics Monopolies
  1. The economics of Starship are more complex than perceived, involving pricing, competition, and opportunity costs.
  2. Price and cost are not the same; in markets like space launches, firms charge markups and earn positive profits.
  3. Opportunity costs play a role in decisions, with each slot allocation affecting revenues from different sources like Starlink satellites.

FAQs: Starship, Starlink, and some SpaceX-conomics

39 implied HN points • 20 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Space Economics Innovation Market Integration
  1. SpaceX will price their Starship slots based on the cost of launching a Starlink satellite, creating a connection between launch prices and satellite values.
  2. Even if SpaceX's goal is to get to Mars fast, they still need profits to fund big projects and attract capital.
  3. SpaceX may aim to grow the space industry, but they will likely price Starship slots at cost plus markup, not markdown, due to market power.

Property rights, complementarity, and capitalization

39 implied HN points • 18 Sep 21
  1. SpaceX's filing of two mutually-exclusive constellation configurations with the FCC leads to complaints from Amazon and other orbit users.
  2. The lack of explicit orbital property rights creates conflicts between orbit users and leads to issues of market competition and value capitalization.
  3. Orbital property rights are inevitable, with the FCC essentially acting as an 'orbital zoning board' due to the regulations around orbits and spectrum use.

The efficient frontier

19 implied HN points • 02 Mar 21
  1. The writer focuses on discussing the economics of space and environmental policy.
  2. The substack is a platform for sharing nuanced thoughts in a more accessible way than on Twitter or a blog.
  3. The title of the substack is a creative mashup of 'economic efficiency' and 'the final frontier'.

AI is like a very tiny hamburger

0 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🔬 Science Energy Water Emissions AI Models
  1. The environmental impact of AI, especially in terms of energy and water use, is a significant concern
  2. Simple energy use math can help understand the resource footprint of AI models like image generation and gaming
  3. Assessing additionality and understanding scopes are crucial in evaluating the true impact of AI on resources like water and energy
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