Here’s a we explore a pragmatic, engineering-first take on **how to make lots of power**, **build stuff**, and **make return propellant** on Titan, Enceladus, and Ganymede.
# Verdict A work in progress verdict favours Enceladus for the longer terms, but Titan is interesting because of the upcoming Icy Moon Missions. - Enceladus Power: **best underwater/geothermal niche and easiest launch.** Vent-assisted baseload plus trivial escape velocity; propellant is LOX/LH₂ (great Isp, tricky long-term storage).
- Titan Power: **most favorable overall.** Thick atmosphere, abundant hydrocarbons, easy methalox propellant, decent wind power; solar is weak but nuclear bridges the gap.
- Ganymede Power: best for large solar and rocky resources. 3× the sunlight of Saturn system and access to rocky/metallic materials; still likely needs nuclear for true industrial scale.
# In-situ propellant production - Titan Power: **Methalox** (CH₄ from lakes, O₂ from ice) is the easiest, most storable, tankage-friendly combo for orbital and interplanetary return. - Enceladus Power: **Hydrolox** (LOX/LH₂) gives top performance; cryo complexity offset by frigid ambient and tiny launch Δv. Ideal for staging in Saturn orbit. Ganymede Power: **Hydrolox** works; large solar fields can run the electrolyzers if you want to minimize nuclear.
# Bottom line - If the mission priority is **fueling frequent, reliable returns** and standing up **chemistry-heavy industry**, pick **Titan** (methalox + wind + fission). - If we want an Under Ice Base with unique **geothermal assist** and ultra-easy **ascent**, pick **Enceladus** (hydrolox + vent-thermal + fission). - If we value **large solar build-outs** and **rocky resources** for manufacturing, pick **Ganymede** (solar + fission + hydrolox).
In all cases, assume **nuclear fission** supplies the first megawatts; each moon then adds its own “native” boost (Titan’s wind and chemistry, Enceladus’s vents, Ganymede’s sunlight).
# See - Moon Power Numbers