1. Introduction This report documents the findings of an 18-month study of Space Solar Power (SSP), earned out under the direction of the NASA/HQ Advanced Concepts Office, and the Advanced Space Analysis Office of NASA/LeRC. The study is a feasibility assessment of prospects for commercial generation of power in space for use on Earth. Throughout this study, the focus is to search out those concepts that have the potential to enable affordable production of energy for Earth in space. The subject was given extensive consideration in the late 1970's - early 1980's in response to the energy shortages then of concern to U.S. policy planners. The reference concept identified from this work - a constellation of many large geostationary power satellites supplying gigawatts of electric power to the U.S. grid - was not programmatically viable then, and is not likely to be viable under any reasonable set of near-term program constraints now. The massive up-front investment, largely government funded, for the reference SSP system and the very low cost space launch capability it required is now considered a “show-stopper” for any advanced technology program The current study reexamines SSP, using new concepts, new architectures, and new technologies that have been identified or developed since the original consideration of the topic. These include modular designs, advanced materials, automated assembly and deployment of space assets, and new orbital configurations for the collection, relay, and downlink functions. Of particular interest are innovative concepts that produce incremental returns for incremental investment, rather than deploying a full system before any revenue can be generated. 1.1. Study Objectives The overall objective of the Space Solar Power (SSP) project is to identify and evaluate system-level concepts and technologies to determine whether beamed solar energy is a feasible approach to power delivery for user communities on Earth and in space. The SSP system definition and evaluation study addresses several key issues: • Can an SSP system deliver credible amounts of power to a terrestrial electric utility grid at costs that are competitive with ground-based alternatives for energy sources and distribution? • What system architecture and implementation technologies provide the best solution in terms of cost and performance? • What are the potential environmental impacts, risks, and mitigating strategies of a potential SSP system? • What is the most effective role for government-funded technology development or demonstrations to reduce risk for a privately financed commercial SSP system? The method selected to address these questions has involved a broad review of concepts, system architectures, and supporting technologies, followed by a detailed technical feasibility assessment and economic evaluation of the most promising alternatives. The tasks and activities performed under this study have enabled us to:
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