STATUS OF THE SATELLITE POWER SYSTEM CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION PROGRAM* FREDERICK A. KOOMANOFF and CARL A. SANDAHL Satellite Power System Project Office (ER-14) U.S. Department of Energy Washington, DC 20545 and Argonne National Laboratory 400 North Capitol Street Washington, DC 20001 Abstract — This article presents the status of the joint Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Satellite Power System (SPS) Concept Development and Evaluation Project (CDEP) as of October 1979. The evaluation procedure is described including the definition of the Reference System for which the assessments (environmental, societal, and comparative) are being made. The provisions for public involvement and information organization and dissemination are described. Some preliminary findings are presented. INTRODUCTION The Satellite Power System (SPS) is a concept that could convert solar energy intercepted in space into electrical energy for use on earth. The present concept includes a number of large satellites in geostationary orbit. Each satellite would be equipped with a solar cell subsystem for converting solar energy into direct current electrical energy, a microwave subsystem for converting the direct current to radio frequency energy, and an antenna to beam micro wave energy to earth. A rectifying antenna (rectenna) on earth would receive and process the microwave energy for insertion into electrical utility systems. New transportation systems would be required to deploy and maintain the SPS. Facilities in both low-earth orbit and in geostationary orbit would also be required for assembly of the SPS. The SPS would provide baseload electrical energy. It would appear to have the potential for low-thermal and chemical pollution and could be shut down with minimal residual environmental impacts. However, the potential environmental impacts associated with the deployment and with the operation of the SPS are not fully understood. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are conducting a broad assessment of SPS under the Concept Development and Evaluation Program (CDEP) (1) that started in 1977 and will be completed in 1980. The assessment includes consideration of the technical and economic feasibility, the effects of the micro wave power transmission beam on biologi- *This article is based upon a paper presented by F. A. Koomanoff at the 30th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation. Munich, Federal Republic of Germany, September 1979.
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