Space Solar Power Satellite Systems as a Service Provider of Electrical Power for Lunar Industries

Abstract

Space Solar Power (SSP) systems are poised to deliver significant benefits on Earth and elsewhere. SSP systems are based on the concept of collecting large amounts of solar energy in space and relaying the energy, in the form of microwave or laser radiation, to a receiving array that converts the transmitted energy into usable energy at the destination. An increase in space enterprise dictates the requirement for a continuous supply of energy in order to maintain human-supporting and robotic operation. SSP systems can form a part of the solution to this need. They can be utilized as a service provider of electrical power to the lunar and near-Earth transportation industries to support continuous operations. This paper presents a concept for utilizing a SSP system in support of Earth-moon transport and lunar habitation. It evaluates the economics of utilizing SSP systems as an electrical service provider for lunar and near-Earth transportation industries such as mining, processing, science, and material transportation systems in the Earth-moon and near-Earth asteroid (NEA) environments. Whether SSP systems will provide a return on investment (ROI) within a timeframe that would be considered feasible by most investors is considered. The operations and infrastructure of the proposed SSP systems are presented