Construction Scenario for Tethered Solar Power Satellite
- Paper number
IAC-06-C3.1.06
- Author
Prof. Susumu Sasaki, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Koji Tanaka, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Ken Higuchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. N. Okuizumi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Coauthor
Prof. Shigeo Kawasaki, Kyoto University, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Naoki Shinohara, Kyoto University, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Kosei Ishimura, Hokkaido University, Japan
- Year
2006
- Abstract
The concept Tethered-SPS is highly robust and potentially low cost. This paper presents a construction scenario for a new version of Tethered-SPS that is integrated by perfectly equivalent tethered units loosely connected to each other. A unit of Tethered-SPS, in which a power generation/transmission panel of 100 m x 95 m is suspended by four 10 km tether wires extended from a bus system. The weight and output power of the unit SPS is about 50 MT and 2.2 MW, respectively. The units are integrated to the commercial system of 1 Gwatt level by connecting the power generation/transmission panels leaving each bus system unconnected. The configuration of separated bus system greatly enhances flexibility, expansibility, and, maintenance performance of the Tethered-SPS. The unit of Tethered-SPS consists of 950 structural unit panels of 10 m x 1 m x 0.02 m. The structural unit panel has 10 power modules. In each power module, the electric power generated by the solar cells is converted to the microwave power and no power line interface exists between the modules. Each module transmits a microwave power of 220 W. The structural unit panels are folded in a package of 10 m x 10 m x 1.9 m which is a unit cargo transported from the ground to the low earth orbit by reusable launch vehicles (RLV). The cargo is transferred to the orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) in the low earth orbit around 500 km and transported to the geo-stationary orbit. To avoid the degradation of the solar cells by the trapped energetic particles in the radiation belt, the cargo is contained in a radiation shield vessel. If we use a 150 MT OTV equipped with an electric propulsion of 120 N thrust, the cargo is transferred to the geo-stationary orbit in 2 months. The unit of Tethered-SPS is deployed automatically in the orbit. The function of the unit is fully tested and then it is integrated to the SPS main body by latching the panels to each other. Docking assistant robots which are manipulated from the ground control center will be required for the integration. The SPS function of the main body can be verified intermittently during the construction phase from the low power to the full power. After completion of construction, any unit in trouble can be unlatched and removed from the main SPS for maintenance, and a new unit can be installed for that. This concept of construction gives an evolutionary scenario from the initial demonstration experiment using a unit of tethered SPS to the practical SPS of 1 GW class.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-C3.1.06.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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