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Technology has been progressing, but humans have not discovered any new law of physics. So by 2085, all new technologies are still based on today's science.

Many nations and corporates are involved in the competition for space, and none can monopolize space yet. No country can assert absolute hegemony on the Earth either. That said, you can't simply eliminate all who oppose you.

The economy in space relies on mining asteroids and collecting solar power. Many powers, primarily chartered companies, focus on scrambling for the asteroid belt. There are some permanent settlements on the moon too, and the moon is mostly under the control of nation-states on the Earth. The development and exploitation of Mercury have just become cost-effective due to the advancements in rocketry, and the competition for Mercury has just started.

The laser-pushed propulsion system will locate in the orbit of Mercury and operate on the abundant solar power there. It also needs a giant Fresnel zone plate located a few astronomical units away from the sun to focus its laser beam. Advanced AIs can mine Mercury and execute the construction project mostly automatically, with little human labour cost.

A thousand-terawatt laser system around mercury will threaten the settlements on the surface of the Moon and cities on the earth (if it can aim and focus its beam on them at all). It can also easily scorch the mining asteroids in the asteroid belt and destroy the surface outposts and the space stations all over the solar system. Therefore, no party will feel comfortable if they know such a system is built with any military capability, unless it is under their control, or so they think.

Technology has been progressing, but humans have not discovered any new law of physics. So by 2085, all new technologies are still based on today's science.

Many nations and corporates are involved in the competition for space, and none can monopolize space yet. No country can assert absolute hegemony on the Earth either. That said, you can't simply eliminate all who oppose you.

The economy in space relies on mining asteroids and collecting solar power. Many powers, primarily chartered companies, focus on scrambling for the asteroid belt. There are some permanent settlements on the moon too, and the moon is mostly under the control of nation-states on the Earth. The development and exploitation of Mercury have just become cost-effective due to the advancements in rocketry, and the competition for Mercury has just started.

The laser-pushed propulsion system will locate in the orbit of Mercury and operate on the abundant solar power there. It also needs a giant Fresnel zone plate located a few astronomical units away from the sun to focus its laser beam. Advanced AIs can mine Mercury and execute the construction project mostly automatically, with little human labour cost.

A thousand-terawatt laser system around mercury will threaten the settlements on the surface of the Moon and cities on the earth (if it can aim and focus its beam on them at all). It can also easily scorch the mining asteroids in the asteroid belt and destroy the surface outposts and the space stations all over the solar system. Therefore, no party will feel comfortable if they know or suspect such a system is built with any military capability, unless it is under their control, or so they think.

Technology has been progressing, but humans have not discovered any new law of physics. So by 2085, all new technologies are still based on today's science.

Many nations and corporates are involved in the competition for space, and none can monopolize space yet. No country can assert absolute hegemony on the Earth either. That said, you can't simply eliminate all who oppose you.

The economy in space relies on mining asteroids and collecting solar power. Many powers, primarily chartered companies, focus on scrambling for the asteroid belt. There are some permanent settlements on the moon too, and the moon is mostly under the control of nation-states on the Earth. The development and exploitation of Mercury have just become cost-effective due to the advancements in rocketry, and the competition for Mercury has just started.

The laser-pushed propulsion system will locate in the orbit of Mercury and operate on the abundant solar power there. It also needs a giant Fresnel zone plate located a few astronomical units away from the sun to focus its laser beam. Advanced AIs can mine Mercury and execute the construction project mostly automatically, with little human labour cost.

A thousand-terawatt laser system around mercury will threaten the settlements on the surface of the Moon and cities on the earth. It can also easily scorch the mining asteroids in the asteroid belt and destroy the surface outposts and the space stations all over the solar system. Therefore, no party will feel comfortable if they know such a system is built with any military capability, unless it is under their control, or so they think.

Technology has been progressing, but humans have not discovered any new law of physics. So by 2085, all new technologies are still based on today's science.

Many nations and corporates are involved in the competition for space, and none can monopolize space yet. No country can assert absolute hegemony on the Earth either. That said, you can't simply eliminate all who oppose you.

The economy in space relies on mining asteroids and collecting solar power. Many powers, primarily chartered companies, focus on scrambling for the asteroid belt. There are some permanent settlements on the moon too, and the moon is mostly under the control of nation-states on the Earth. The development and exploitation of Mercury have just become cost-effective due to the advancements in rocketry, and the competition for Mercury has just started.

The laser-pushed propulsion system will locate in the orbit of Mercury and operate on the abundant solar power there. It also needs a giant Fresnel zone plate located a few astronomical units away from the sun to focus its laser beam. Advanced AIs can mine Mercury and execute the construction project mostly automatically, with little human labour cost.

A thousand-terawatt laser system around mercury will threaten the settlements on the surface of the Moon and cities on the earth (if it can aim and focus its beam on them at all). It can also easily scorch the mining asteroids in the asteroid belt and destroy the surface outposts and the space stations all over the solar system. Therefore, no party will feel comfortable if they know such a system is built with any military capability, unless it is under their control, or so they think.

The construction of the propulsion system should not risk any hostile sabotage or military action to stop it from being built.

The propulsion system should be built openly (you really can't hide something that big) and in a non-threatening manner. It should be advertised as built for exploration and scientific purposes only.

The small group of people who constructed the propulsion system should be private (non-governmental). But they don't have to be a profit organization.

The construction of the propulsion system should improve the public relation of the small group which controls it, or at least does not hurt their public relations.

The construction of the propulsion system should not risk any hostile sabotage or military action to stop it from being built.

The propulsion system should be built openly (you really can't hide something that big) and in a non-threatening manner. It should be advertised as built for exploration and scientific purposes only.

The small group of people who constructed the propulsion system should be private (non-governmental, and not international organizations). But they don't have to be a profit organization.

The construction of the propulsion system should improve the public relation of the small group which controls it, or at least does not hurt their public relations.