Let’s Just Build Another Billion‑Dollar Paperweight in Orbit

… Said No One Smart Ever

Listen up, space cowboys: the ISS is retiring, and you’ve got two choices. Either build another multi‑decade albatross funded by taxpayers, or try something novel, like actually owning your opportunity.

Here’s the genius plan nobody in orbit has thought of: sell microgravity by the kilo, not as politics theater. Package it like AWS, with transparent pricing, modules that plug and play, and SLAs that don’t demand an act of Congress to insert a payload.

Then take a slice of real success. Why charge astronomical rent when you can take 5–10 % equity or royalties? Ginkgo nailed that playbook with microbes. Why shouldn’t you bankroll the next materials startup making gold in zero‑G?

And for heavens sake, don’t build your own gizmos. Use shared robotics corridors, plug‑and‑dock modules, FAA‑style interfaces, exactly how Fraunhofer and Protolabs dismantle bespoke disasters on Earth.

Now get policymakers to finance TRL 1–3 and co‑fund TRL 4–6, but only until the startup pigs produce bacon. After that, moon them. The market must decide, not congresspersons chasing headlines.

You want orbit to thrive? Stop worshipping hardware. Build services, share risks, mint equity. Otherwise, you’re just drawing the same old ISS roadmap, with new paint.