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SCP-3029 Euclid ~ medium confidence
SCP-3029
Expected annual
$36.8M
One-time setup
$337.6M
Annual recurring
$36.5M
Personnel
20
Estimated one-time establishment costs are large due to observatory construction, secure facilities, and R&D seed funding (~$338M one-time); ongoing yearly operations and influence/containment activities are the main recurring drivers (~$36.6M/yr).
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $337.6M
Interstellar Probe Seed $150.0M
[#16] Seed funding and capital for basic interstellar-probe R&D and test programs (Breakthrough-style research); represents a conservative mid-scale commitment.
High Level Contingency Reserve $100.0M
[#26] One-time high-level contingency/insurance reserve for extraordinary covert measures or global influence buys; deliberately conservative lower-bound reserve.
Facilities $29.0M
[#1, #7, #23, #13] Site preparation and structural works for a distributed observatory network (#1), classified SCIF/data-center build (#7), laboratory/workshop building (#23), and partial covert acquisition of observatory sites (#13).
Amnestic R And D Facility $25.0M
[#11] One-time buildout for a (fictional) amnestic R&D facility or secure capability for advanced containment/psychological operations; mid-range estimate of the facility component.
Equipment $18.3M
[#1, #4, #20] Telescopes, photometers, domes, camera hardware and communications equipment (#1); dedicated radio array hardware if built (#4); secure communications hardware and encrypted infrastructure (#20).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $10.3M
[#5, #15, #25] HPC nodes and initial storage/backups (#5); small-scale contingency R&D and prototype testbeds (#15); initial build of data-forensics/reduction pipelines (#25).
Large Legal Settlement Fund $5.0M
[#10] One-time legal/lobbying/settlement slush for exceptional disputes or payoffs; covers mid-sized settlements or campaign buys.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $36.5M/yr
Interstellar Probe Multiyear R D $10.0M/yr
[#16] Continued multi-year R&D and test programs for advanced propulsion concepts (speculative long-term program).
Cover Story And Legal $5.0M/yr
[#9, #10, #24] Public narrative management (seed grants, commissioned papers, conferences) (#9); baseline legal/lobbying/embargo activities (#10); paid media/content to shape public interpretation (#24).
Contingency R And D $5.0M/yr
[#15] Ongoing research into analogous megastructure technologies, light-sail prototypes, and directed-emission detection methods for threat assessment.
Research And Monitoring $4.0M/yr
[#2, #3, #4] Observatory network operations and routine monitoring (#2); purchased/priority time on major facilities and spectroscopic follow-ups (#3); recurring radio/SETI campaign hours if using national facilities (#4).
Staff Wages $3.0M/yr
[#6] Salaries for core scientific staff, data scientists, engineers and rotating consultants (approx. 20 FTEs in baseline staffing).
Facilities Maintenance $2.0M/yr
[#5, #8] Utilities, hardened-facility maintenance, security staffing costs and HPC power/maintenance overhead.
Diplomatic Coordination $2.0M/yr
[#14] Discreet diplomatic channels, covert funding and international coordination to limit data sharing or influence public reporting by agencies.
Covert Funding Of Observatories $1.0M/yr
[#13] Ongoing covert grants/funding to smaller observatories or instrument teams to secure data access and influence reduction pipelines.
Insurance And Liability $1.0M/yr
[#21] Annual insurance premiums, liability funds and small-yearly slush reserves for contingencies.
Supplies And Consumables $700K/yr
[#5, #25] Ongoing storage costs (per-PB storage, backups), software maintenance, and consumables for data-forensics pipelines.
Targeted Buyouts $500K/yr
[#11] Recurring budget for buyouts, relocations and legal settlements for high-value individuals (practical analogue to 'amnestic' operations).
Social Media Monitoring $500K/yr
[#12] Ongoing social-media analytics, influencer engagement and counter-misinformation operations.
Whistleblower Monitoring $500K/yr
[#18] Leak investigations, legal settlements, protective relocations and insider-threat programs.
Psych And Public Safety $400K/yr
[#19] Public-safety outreach, hotlines, educational materials and community engagement to mitigate panic or dangerous responses.
Logistics And Transport $300K/yr
[#22] Travel, fieldwork logistics, sending teams to observatories, conference attendance and shipment of hardware.
Emergency Response Planning $250K/yr
[#17] Tabletop exercises, civil-defense planning, and coordination with emergency agencies.
Secure Comms Operations $200K/yr
[#20] Operations and subscriptions for encrypted comms, classified network access, and SIGINT support.
Minimal Monitoring $200K/yr
[#27] Low-cost baseline monitoring option (analyst-provided lower-scale alternative) — budget for a minimal watcher/analytic capability and occasional telescope nights.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $36.5M/yr
94.0% probability / year
Normal operational year: observatory network and narrative/containment programs run at the chosen baseline scale with no major incidents.
routine monitoring scheduled R&D activity ongoing PR/legal maintenance
🚨 Minor Incident $38.0M/yr
5.0% probability / year +$1.5M vs baseline
Localized leak, limited public exposure or observatory data release requiring targeted legal action, buyouts, and increased PR/observing time.
targeted data leak small whistleblower viral but containable media attention
🚨 Major Breach $56.5M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$20.0M vs baseline
High-profile international exposure or concerted scientific refutation forcing heavy legal/diplomatic action, large settlements, and urgent operational scaling.
major public discovery international scientific coalition large-scale leak or whistleblower movement
👥 Personnel 20 total
Role Count Notes
Research Scientist / PI 2 [#6] Senior investigators overseeing program and collaborations; high-salary PIs included in staff_wages.
Research Scientist 6 [#6] Senior/mid-career scientists conducting modelling, spectroscopy and mission planning.
Postdoc / Research Assistant 4 [#6] Early-career staff performing data analysis, pipeline work and follow-up observations.
Engineer / Maintenance 4 [#6] Telescope, radio array and HPC engineers; part of the staff_wages budget.
Technician / Observatory Ops 4 [#2, #6] On-site telescope operators and technicians for automated network maintenance; included in staff_wages.
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed ranges for each line item but many items (esp. clandestine influence, interstellar R&D and contingency reserves) carry multi-order-of-magnitude uncertainty; chosen mid-range estimates produce moderate confidence.
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