Technical Assessment of Space Solar-Power Research Program

An independent analysis of current NASA studies on space solar power (SSP) by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics found many opportunities for international collaboration in an SSP program, including computer modeling, solar array technologies development, demonstrations of SSP-enabling technologies, identification and pursuit of multiple-use applications, wireless power transmission experiments and studies, joint use of certain facilities, and perhaps most important, a wide range of global policy, economic, environmental, and legal considerations. Key SSP technologies could find broad applications in human space exploration, science and robotic space exploration, national security missions, commercial space development, and terrestrial applications. New system configurations that substantially reduce SSP technical and economic risk, remarkable improvements in solar-power generation technologies, and significant advancements in structural, robotic, power management, and materials technologies have been identified. The major barrier to eventual implementation of terrestrial power delivery from space, as with all large space systems, is the lack of a national commitment to develop a viable path to low-cost, reliable space transportation.