Citizens for Space Based Solar Power

Author: Rob Mahan

  • Gemini Deep Research: Current State of Space-Based Solar Power

    Gemini Deep Research: Current State of Space-Based Solar Power

    I entered the following query into the Gemini Deep Research AI:

    What is the current state of space-based solar power development and what entities are currently conducting research on space-based solar power development? Compile a list of the top ten entities which are likely to accomplish the development and deployment of space-based solar power on a commercial scale?

    Gemini rewrote my query as:

    Provide an overview of the current progress in space-based solar power (SBSP) development, identify organizations currently researching SBSP, and list the top ten entities most likely to achieve commercial-scale SBSP deployment.

    Following is the report that Gemini Deep Research developed in about ten minutes after researching and analyzing data from hundreds of websites. I’ve included the Executive Summary and Conclusion and Future Outlook for SBSP in full, with headings for the remaining sections of the report.

    View or download a PDF of the full 20-page report.

    Space-Based Solar Power: Progress, Key Players, and the Path to Commercialization

    I. Executive Summary

    Space-based solar power (SBSP), the concept of harvesting solar energy in space and wirelessly transmitting it to Earth, is experiencing a significant resurgence of interest driven by advancements in space technology and the pressing need for clean, reliable energy. Recent milestones, such as Caltech’s successful wireless power transmission from space and Space Solar’s demonstration of 360° power beaming, highlight the tangible progress being made. A diverse range of organizations, spanning government agencies like NASA, ESA, JAXA, and AFRL, academic institutions such as Caltech and Kyoto University, and private companies ranging from established aerospace giants like Northrop Grumman and Airbus to innovative startups like Space Solar and Aetherflux, are actively engaged in research and development efforts. While significant challenges remain, particularly in terms of cost-effectiveness and large-scale deployment, the potential of SBSP to provide continuous, baseload power is attracting increasing attention and investment. This report provides an overview of the current state of SBSP development, identifies the key organizations involved, and analyzes the top ten entities most likely to achieve commercial-scale deployment in this transformative field.

    II. Introduction: The Promise of Space-Based Solar Power

    III. Current Landscape of SBSP Development

    IV. Leading Organizations in SBSP Research and Development

    V. Key Private Sector Players in the SBSP Arena

    VI. Technological Advancements and Key Challenges in SBSP

    VII. Evaluating the Potential for Commercial-Scale Deployment

    VIII. Top Ten Entities Most Likely to Achieve Commercial-Scale SBSP Deployment

    IX. Conclusion and Future Outlook for SBSP

    Space-based solar power stands at an exciting juncture. The convergence of technological advancements, particularly in space launch and wireless power transmission, coupled with the ever-increasing global demand for clean energy, has propelled SBSP from a futuristic concept towards a tangible possibility. Recent demonstrations and the growing number of active players across government, academia, and the private sector underscore the significant momentum in this field.

    While considerable challenges remain, particularly in achieving cost-effectiveness and deploying large-scale systems in space, the long-term potential of SBSP to provide continuous, baseload power is undeniable. The projected growth of the SBSP market indicates increasing investment and a shift towards more development-focused initiatives. The next decade will likely see significant progress in technology maturation and further in-space demonstrations, paving the way for pilot projects and, eventually, commercial-scale deployments.

    The entities identified in this report, with their diverse strengths and approaches, are at the forefront of this endeavor. Their continued progress, coupled with sustained government support and further technological breakthroughs, will be crucial in realizing the promise of space-based solar power and its potential to revolutionize the global energy landscape. As the world continues to strive for a sustainable energy future, SBSP is poised to play an increasingly important role, offering a clean, reliable, and virtually limitless source of power from the ultimate energy provider – the Sun.

    View or download a PDF of the full 20-page report.

  • SBSP: For Future Generations

  • Power Beaming & Space Solar Innovation by Dr. Paul Jaffe, PhD

    Move energy, not mass.

    This hour-long presentation by Dr. Paul Jaffee, PhD, of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory on July 30, 2020 is a comprehensive look at the past, present and future of power beaming and space based solar power. Power beaming is an integral part of space based solar power, and also has standalone terrestrial and space-based applications.

    This video was livestreamed by the Homeland Defense & Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC). The original podcast and links to additional resources highlighted by Dr. Jaffe may be found at:

    https://www.hdiac.org/podcast/power-beaming/

  • Space Solar Power Demo Headed for Orbit on X-37B OTV

    The sixth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is scheduled to launch on May 16, 2020. As reported by Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, aboard will be an experiment from the the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory will transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could then be transmitted to the ground. Link to the full U.S. Space Force article is below.

    https://breakingdefense.com/2020/05/x-37bs-next-mission-to-demo-space-based-solar-power/

    Hat tip to Elisa Shebaro for posting this article on her FB page and letting us know!

    Encapsulated X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for United States Space Force-7 mission (Courtesy of Boeing)

    Here’s a link to an additional “X-37B’s Next Mission To Demo Space-Based Solar Power” article from the Breaking Defense website:

    https://breakingdefense.com/2020/05/x-37bs-next-mission-to-demo-space-based-solar-power/

  • LEctenna on ISS

    Hearing NASA Astronaut, Jessica Meir say “space-based solar power arrays … incredible option in the future providing clean energy to power the world.” in this video (@3:14) from onboard the International Space Station literally brought me to tears.

    As you all know, I’ve been an advocate of SBSP for years, just trying to make other citizens aware of this gamechanging clean energy technology.

    Hat tip to Elisa Shebaro for posting this video on her FB page!

  • NASA 2020: A Year of Action

    A good summary of NASA programs in 2020 and beyond. Still no mention of space-based solar power, but it’s good to see plans for the Artemis program moving forward. The establishment of a lunar base will provide a foundation for the development of lunar mining and manufacturing operations that could support a space-based solar power effort.

  • Space Shuttle Endeavour – Final Flight

    The Space Shuttle Endeavour passes over Redwood City, California, on it’s final flight.

    Today, rather than mourn the final chapter of NASA’s Space Transportation System (STS) program, I choose to look to the future of America’s continuing, global leadership as a spacefaring nation. Whether it be the establishment of a permanent lunar outpost, manned missions to Mars, mining of near earth objects, the establishment of space-based solar power satellites, or all of the above and beyond, the next chapters in America’s exploration of space will definitely inspire many generations of our citizens, both young and old.

    I was under the flight path of the Space Shuttle Endeavour OV-105 this morning, as it passed over Redwood City, California. The Endeavour, atop the specially outfitted 747, had flown over the Golden Gate Bridge and was on its way to a low flyover of Moffett Field, in Mountain View, to honor the employees and their families at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

    The Endeavour was built to replace Challenger, and from 1992 to 2011, flew a total of twenty-five missions. The Endeavour’s final destination is the the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California.

  • Will Fossil Fuels Be A “Bridge to Nowhere”?

    Will Fossil Fuels Be A “Bridge to Nowhere”? – photo by Kecko CC BY 2.0 on Flickr

    Every form of energy we have can eventually be traced back to the Sun. Space based solar power solves the on/off problem of terrestrial solar power, and could be delivered nearly anywhere on the planet 24/7/365. These characteristics make space based solar power a virtually unlimited, clean baseload power source.

    Currently, payload launch-to-orbit costs are the single biggest hurdle to developing and deploying space based solar power. While it would be a massive and complex engineering project, no basic science breakthroughs are needed before space based solar power could be implemented.

    Space based solar power is not a short-term solution to our energy needs. Domestic fossil fuel resources would provide a “bridge” to its eventual implementation … but fossil fuel will be a “bridge to nowhere”, unless we start developing space based solar power very soon.

    Rob Mahan
    Citizens for Space Based Solar Power*

    *I’m a purely self-appointed advocate, and I have no financial stake in space based solar power. I simply believe that it will eventually be the solution to our energy future.

  • Farewell, Neil Armstrong

    Neil Armstrong

    I wept at the news of Neil Armstrong’s death today. I wept for the man and his family, I wept for what the man symbolized, and I wept for America. As the sad news sank in, I was transported back in time. I was once again in front of that old, black and white television set in my parents’ house in Ohio. It was almost 11:00 PM, the room was dark except for the light coming from the TV, and my dad was sitting beside me on the couch.

    Several hours before, our nation watched and listened as the Lunar Module Eagle, separated from the Command Module Columbia. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin left Command Module Pilot Michael Collins in lunar orbit, as they began their historic descent to the surface of the Moon. Soon, a voice called out declining altitude and velocity numbers. The details of the lunar surface grew clearer out a triangular window, and the shadow of the LM came into view. From Mission Control in Houston, we finally heard, “We copy you down, Eagle.” And then came the famous response:

    “Houston … uh … Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

    On that warm summer evening of July 21, 1969, I was mesmerized by the grainy picture of a fellow Ohioan, a farm boy from the small town of Wapakoneta on the other side of the state, poised on the ladder of the LM. I held my breath while Neil Armstrong described how far the pads of the lander had sunk into the powdery surface, only about one to two inches, he reported. Then, he said, “I’m going to step off the LM now.” With his right hand still on the ladder, he spoke for himself, and for all of humankind.

    “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

    The American space program of the late 1950s and 1960s, and men like Neil Armstrong, inspired an entire generation of young people to enter the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics. America was strong, and the undisputed leader in manned and unmanned space exploration. To an eleven-year-old kid from Ohio, it seemed that even the sky was no longer the limit, and that anything we, as a nation, could imagine, was possible.

    Today, when I heard that Neil Armstrong, American, First Man on the Moon had died, I wept for the loss of a boyhood hero … and I wept for the loss of America’s once-great space program. With American astronauts now having to hitchhike to the International Space Station, it feels like our nation has lost its desire, determination, and passion to lead the rest of the world into space. Along with that loss of passion, I fear that our space program is rapidly losing the very skills and abilities to once again be the leader in humankind’s exploration of the final frontier.

    Neil Armstrong’s family has made a request of us, as we mourn the loss of a most humble, great American:

    “The next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

    I know I will.

  • AIAA Atlanta Presents “Space Solar Power – A Strategic Overview”

    A friend of mine just sent me a copy of the invitation to the May 22 AIAA Atlanta Dinner Meeting, where Darel Preble, president of the Space Solar Power Institute, is going to present “Space Solar Power – A Strategic Overview”.

    Image linked from the Space Solar Power Institute
    Space-based solar power receiving antennae (rectenna) absorb wirelessly transmitted energy from space, and allow sunlight and rain to pass through so that the land underneath can still be utilized for farming or ranching.

    I hope many of my former co-workers attend the dinner and learn about the potential of space-based solar power to be a game-changing technology in our energy future. In a partnership with Georgia Tech, Lockheed Martin seems like such a good fit for leading the United States in the commercial development of space-based solar power. They build rockets and satellites, do very large scale systems development and integration, conduct research green energy technologies . . . and they like to make money!

    Lockheed Martin should be a charter member of the proposed public-private Sunsat Corporation, and lead the way to our energy future. There certainly is precedent for such a venture, e.g. the Railroad Act of 1862 and the Communications Satellite Act of 1962. I sincerely hope we don’t have to wait until 2062 to see a Sunsat Act come to fruition.

    The dinner meeting will be at Scalini’s, one of my favorite Atlanta-area Italian restaurants!