Elon Musk’s plans refer to an idea conceived in the 1960s. What is the Kardashev scale?

Elon Musk’s plans for the future of SpaceX, and humanity, are rooted in an idea conceived in the 1960s when astronomers began to pick up mysterious, unknown radio sources in the cosmos.Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev was a pioneer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence at the time, and some of the signals fascinated him. Intrigued by the idea that a transmission from potential alien civilizations could possibly be detected from Earth, he proposed a scale to classify such civilizations based on the energy they could produce — and then devote to interstellar communications. His concept is now known as the Kardashev scale.Musk has referenced the scale often, most recently in video shared on X, his social platform, ahead of SpaceX’s blockbuster initial public offering in June and in a signed statement on the company’s website, which summarizes a request filed this year with the US Federal Communications Commission.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the request, SpaceX asks for permission to send up to 1 million new satellites into orbit, with the goal of creating data centers in space. Musk said that this new constellation of satellites would represent “a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization.”Elon Musk has directly referenced the Kardashev scale in relation to his future plans for SpaceX. – Josh Edelson/Getty ImagesThe Kardashev scale has three levels, moving from planet to star to galaxy. A Type I civilization can use all the energy of a single planet, either produced by the planet itself — for example in the form of geothermal or wind power — or received from its host star, like solar power. A Type II civilization can use the entire energy output of a star, as well as send information across galactic distances. A Type III civilization can harness the power of a whole galaxy and send information across multiple galaxies.The Kardashev scale has its detractors, but it has been a catalyst for discussion for the past six decades, and the subject of many revisions that have added extra levels of categorization. Experts have recognized the framework as a useful tool to grade potential civilizations, albeit one that is not used in any official capacity.”The Kardashev scale is, in principl …

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