Allocating Orbits Around the Sun

If humanity begins building large-scale solar infrastructure around the Sun, the question of who gets to build where becomes a governance problem. Some orbits are vastly more valuable than others: inner orbits receive orders of magnitude more energy, certain configurations screen sunlight from Earth or other captors, and reaching high-inclination orbits costs significantly more than staying near the ecliptic plane. These asymmetries mean that an allocation framework, or the lack of one, will shape which actors are favoured to grow.

This piece works through the building blocks of that problem. It introduces the six classical orbital parameters that define any position around the Sun, visualises what different allocation schemes look like in practice, from random assignment to structured patterns like Fibonacci lattices and Ω-then-inclination progressions, and catalogues the factors that make certain orbits more or less desirable. It then connects those factors to four governance properties worth aiming for: resistance to concentration of power, transparency, amendability, and agreeableness to participants and external stakeholders.

The main takeaway is that some parameters matter more than others for governance. Allocating position along shared orbits between actors and requiring inclination diversity appear especially important for preventing first-mover lock-in and protecting external stakeholders like Earth. And because swarm construction under an industrial explosion could follow an exponential trajectory, getting these early-stage allocations right, while keeping the framework amendable, may matter more than optimising for conditions that only arise near full coverage.