Well, today, SpaceX will place stuff in low Earth orbit for $2,200/kg. There are 121 million kg of high-level waste hanging about. So right now, it would cost $267bn.
That seems a lot, but we've had a lot of power from that fuel. My maths suggests it comes out at less than 1ยข per kWh. That's smaller than the surcharge customers are charged in the UK for electricity from renewable sources.
It's not being suggested seriously because for the moment there's no need. (And, as I mentioned, because one in fifty rockets full of spent nuclear fuel exploding mid-air would be A Shame.)
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Date: 2013-04-05 02:12 pm (UTC)That seems a lot, but we've had a lot of power from that fuel. My maths suggests it comes out at less than 1ยข per kWh. That's smaller than the surcharge customers are charged in the UK for electricity from renewable sources.
It's not being suggested seriously because for the moment there's no need. (And, as I mentioned, because one in fifty rockets full of spent nuclear fuel exploding mid-air would be A Shame.)
The problem can wait. The price will come down.