“A hundred and fifty years before, when the parochial disagreements between Earth and Mars had been on the verge of war, the Belt had been a far horizon of tremendous mineral wealth beyond viable economic reach, and the outer planets had been beyond even the most unrealistic corporate dream. Then Solomon Epstein had built his little modified fusion drive, popped it on the back of this three-man yacht, and it turned it on. With a good scope, you could still see his ship going at a marginal percentage of the speed of light, heading out into the big empty. The best, longest funeral in the history of mankind. Fortunately, he’d left the plans on his home computer. The Epstein Drive hadn't given humanity the stars, but it had delivered the planets."
In the opening paragraph of Leviathan Wakes, James Corey describes humanity’s inherent penchant for exploration. Solomon Epstein’s fusion drive represents the technology contributing to the successful exploration of other solar system components. The Epstein Drive is an instinct that drives humans to reach other stars and planets. This opening paragraph is reminiscent of the space race we are witnessing today. There are modern companies dedicated to colonizing space. Ongoing technological innovations mean that humans will continue exploring other parts of the solar system that have yet to be explored. The Belt represents the unknown wealth that could be discovered in other parts of the solar system.
“Maokwik might not have been one of the top ten corporations in the Belt, but it was certainly in the upper fifty. Originally, it had been a legal firm involved in the failure of the Venusian cloud cities. They’d used the money from that decades-long lawsuit to diversify and expand, mostly into interplanetary transport. Now the corporate station was independent, floating between the Belt and the inner planets with the regal majesty of an ocean liner on ancient seas.”
Capitalism plays a part in space colonization. There are opportunities for new entrepreneurial ventures, such as transportation, that are required to make space colonization a success. Companies such as Maokwik offer services that make movement between planets possible. Offering such transportation services requires hefty investments whose high returns are guaranteed. With inter-planet transportation, humans are not limited to staying on Earth only. They can reside on other planets of their choice. Furthermore, transportation services are instrumental in bridging the distance between various planets and stars.
“Platinum, iron, and titanium from the Belt. Water from Saturn, vegetables and beef from the big mirror-fed greenhouses on Ganymede and Europa, and organics from Earth and Mars. Power cells from Io, Helium-3 from the refineries on Rhea and Iapetus. A river of wealth and power unrivalled in human history came through Ceres.”
Being a port city, Ceres offers a hub through which various valuable commodities pass. The emergence of Ceres resembles the development of port cities on planet Earth. Port cities on Earth developed and grew due to trade. Similarly, Ceres is a meeting point for various planets; thus, trade is booming there. The high number of commercial activities in the city attracts six million individuals who reside there permanently. Moreover, thousands of ships ferrying various commodities dock at the port. Ceres epitomizes the prosperity that comes with the successful colonization of space. The description of Ceres suggests that conquering space will open new commercial ventures for the human race.
