Category: elegant solutions

Project Olympus: Lunar Construction

I have long held that the full implementation of space-based solar power (SBSP) will depend on the development of off-Earth construction capabilities and the utilization of off-Earth material resources. The deep gravity well of our home planet makes placing Earth-sourced and manufactured SBSP components in orbit almost prohibitively expensive, although recent advances in reusable launch vehicles is driving that cost curve down.

As NASA plans for long-term human exploration of the Moon under Artemis, new technologies are required to meet the unique challenges of living and working on another world.

NASA, ICON Advance Lunar Construction Technology for Moon Missions

In late 2022, ICON, a 3D printed housing company based in Texas, received a contract under NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to continue its research and development of lunar-based construction systems. Project Olympus will aim space-based construction systems to support planned exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.

“To change the space exploration paradigm from ‘there and back again’ to ‘there to stay,’ we’re going to need robust, resilient, and broadly capable systems that can use the local resources of the Moon and other planetary bodies. We’re pleased that our research and engineering to-date has demonstrated that such systems are indeed possible, and we look forward to now making that possibility a reality.”

Jason Ballard, ICON co-founder and CEO

Project Olympus will be the first significant off-Earth, largely autonomous construction project utilizing locally sourced materials. While not building solar panel arrays or wireless power transmission structures, the habitats, launch facilities, and other support structures that Project Olympus will hopefully create will be critical to establishing a persistent human presence on another world.

Perhaps an SBSP solar panel array manufacturing facility on the Moon should be on NASA and ICON’s short list of things to build out of lunar regolith next!

NSS: “Dear Earth”

Dear Earth: We’re Sorry for What We’ve Done to You…

The National Space Society announced today its “Dear Earth” campaign for space solar power has been named in the Best of Social Media category in the 42nd Annual Telly Awards.

https://space.nss.org/

It has long been C-SBSP’s assertion that Earth-found fuels–carbon-based, uranium, thorium, etc.–are all finite natural resources that will one day be more costly to extract than the value of the energy they will yield. On a planetary time scale, or even the time scale of humankind, when that day comes is practically irrelevant. If we are not prepared when that day does inevitably arrive, civilization as we know it, and perhaps even the existence of humankind, will no longer be sustainable.

To once again restate the obvious, the Sun is our virtually unlimited source of abundant, clean energy. The only question that remains is how best to harvest energy from the Sun to provide sustainable baseload power on a planetary scale. In C-SBSP’s opinion, the answer is space-based solar power (SBSP), with the following conditions:

  • SBSP development and deployment must be done with the agreement, cooperation and participation of all space-faring nations, for the common good of all humankind.
  • Given the potential century-level project timeline, conventional political cycles and economic models must be superseded.
  • SBSP must utilize off-planet manufacturing, construction and maintenance.
  • SBSP must harvest and utilize off-planet materials and resources.

CASSIOPeiA – A New SPS Concept

Ian Cash, of SICA Design Ltd, presented a new Solar Power Satellite (SPS) concept during the Space Solar Power Workshop of the IEEE WiSEE conference held in Montreal last month. Ian’s presentation is linked below. Special thanks to Elisa Shebaro of PowerSOL, who attended this conference and brought the CASSIOPeiA presentation to my attention.

The CASSIOPeiA Solar Power Satellite is “based on the principle of wavelength-scale modular integration of all major functions, from solar collection through to beam-formation.” With no moving parts, CASSIOPeiA’s patent-pending phased array permits beam steering through 360 degrees.

The ultralight helical structure maintains a constant solar collecting area directly facing the Sun. Stowed as an integrated and highly compact package, this concept offers “the enticing possibility of a fully functional SPS deployed as a single payload.” The full CASSIOPeiA white paper can be read here.

Dr. Seyed (Reza) A. Zekavat, Michigan Tech, and Darel Preble, Space Solar Power Institute, Georgia Tech, co-chair the Space Solar Power Workshop as part of the annual IEEE WiSEE Conference. Papers and presentations from recent Space Solar Power Workshops can be seen at the bottom of Dr. Zekavat’s faculty page, here.

NASA’s New Goal Should Be Space Based Solar Power

NASA’s new overarching goal should be to lead the joint public-private development and deployment of space-based solar power as a baseload power source. It’s a goal that would encompass many other technologies (non-rocket launch methods, AI-based robotic assembly in space, mining of lunar and NEO resources, lunar base operations, energy conversion and transmission methods, etc.) and inspire young people get advanced educations and be a part of making the planet a better place for everyone, much like the Apollo program did.

The unique aspect of NASA adopting space-based solar power as an overarching goal is that the long-term result would be a revenue positive system owned and operated by the United States of America. We would become a net exporter of clean, virtually unlimited energy.

Prohibitive launch costs are cited as the primary roadblock to space-based solar power today. Let’s come up with an elegant solution, such as a mass driver launch system initially powered by terrestrial solar power and eventually powered by the first space-based solar power satellite. It’s a positive upward spiral. The more power available, the more payload put in orbit and assembled into additional satellites resulting in more power available … and repeat. Once such a self-proliferating system harvests more energy than it uses, the excess energy can be directed into existing or new distribution grids.