The California Institute of Technology's Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) prototype, known as the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD), launched into orbit, will test several key elements of an ambitious plan to harvest solar power in space and return it to the earth.
Space solar energy provides a way to harness the virtually unlimited supply of solar energy in space, where energy is always available regardless of day and night cycles, seasons and weather, cloud cover.
For more photos, gifs and videos, here are the links: 1st, Caltech press release. Second , the project website.
The launch represents a major milestone for the project and promises to turn what was once science fiction into reality. Once fully deployed, SSPP will deploy a fleet of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, convert it into electricity, and then transmit it wirelessly over long distances to where it's needed, including places that currently lack reliable access to electricity. .
The Momentus Vigoride spacecraft carried the 50-kilogram SSPD into space aboard a SpaceX rocket during the Transporter-6 mission. It consists of three main tests, each of which is responsible for testing different core technologies of the project:
- DOLCE (In-Orbit Ultralight Composite Materials Experiment): a 6-by-6-foot structure demonstrating the architecture, layout and deployment process of a modular spacecraft that will eventually build a full-scale one-kilometer propulsion constellation;
- ALBA : A collection of 32 different types of photovoltaic (PV) cells to evaluate the most efficient cell types in the hostile environment of space;
- MAPLE (Microwave Array for Low Earth Orbit Power Transfer Experiment): An array of lightweight, flexible microwave power transmitters with precise timing control that selectively focus energy on two different receivers to demonstrate long-range wireless power transfer in space.
The optional fourth component of the SSPD is an electronic unit that interfaces with the Vigoride computer and runs three tests.
SSPP began in 2011 when philanthropist Donald Brain, president of the Irvine Company and life board member of the California Institute of Technology , discovered the potential of solar power in space in an article in Popular Science.
Inspired by the potential of space solar energy, Brain contacted Jean-Louis Chamot, then president of the California Institute of Technology, to discuss setting up a space solar energy research project. In 2013, Brain and his wife, Caltech administrator Bridget Brain, agreed to provide a grant to fund the project. The first grant (eventually over $100 million) was awarded that same year by the Donald Brain Foundation, and the study began.
"For years I dreamed of how space-based solar power could solve some of humanity's most pressing problems," Brain said. Today, I am thrilled to support Caltech's brilliant scientists in their pursuit of making that dream a reality.
The rocket takes about 10 minutes to reach the desired altitude. The Momentus spacecraft was launched by an orbital rocket. The Caltech Earth team expects to begin experimenting with the SSPD within weeks of launch.
Some test tasks will run quickly. "We plan to lead the launch of DOLCE within days of gaining access to Momentus' SSPD. By this time, we should know if DOLCE works," said Sergio Pellegrino, Joyce and Kent Kress Professor of Aerospace and Civil Engineering said at Caltech. SSPP Pellegrino is also the principal investigator of JPL, which Caltech works for NASA.
Other ingredients will take longer. The collection of PV cells will require up to six months of testing to provide new insight into the type of PV technology best suited for this application. Maple includes a variety of experiments ranging from initial functionality testing to evaluating system performance in various environments over time.
Meanwhile, two cameras on the DOLCE retractable arm and additional cameras in the electronics unit will monitor the progress of the experiment and broadcast the return to Earth. The SSPP team expects to have a full performance evaluation of the SSPD within months of its launch.
Many challenges remain: Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to conducting experiments in space, from the launch and deployment of spacecraft to the operation of the SSPD. But despite everything, the same ability to build a space prototype represents a significant achievement for the SSPP team.
Ali Hadjimiri, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Medical Engineering at Caltech and co-director of SSPP, said: "Whatever happens, this prototype is a big step forward. It works here on Earth and has passed through the rigorous have gone through the steps necessary for launching into space. There are still many risks, but the whole process has taught us valuable lessons. We believe that the space experiments will provide us with very useful additional information that will help the project move forward move."
Although solar cells have been on Earth since the late 1800s and currently produce about 4% of the world's electricity (as well as powering the International Space Station), everything involved in the production and transmission of solar energy must be redesigned for large-scale use. . place
Solar panels are heavy and bulky, making them expensive to install and require extensive cables to transmit power. To overcome these problems, the SSPP team had to develop new technologies, architectures, materials and designs for a system that could make a practical implementation. space solar energy while being light enough to be cost-effective for mass deployment. in space and tough enough to withstand the rigors of outer space.
Pellegrino said: "DOLCE introduces a new architecture for solar-powered spacecraft and phased array antennas. It uses the latest generation of ultra-thin composite materials to achieve unparalleled packaging efficiency and flexibility. With the new advances we are already starting to work on have, we are the future space waiting for various mission applications.”
Khajimiri noted, "The fully flexible MAPLE array, as well as its wireless power transfer electronics and transmission components, was designed from the ground up. It was not made with commercially available items because they did not exist. This fundamental system redesign of the ground up is key to delivering scalable TPMS solutions.
A complete set of three prototypes within the SSPD was designed, built, built and tested by a team of approximately 35 people. “This was achieved with a small team and far fewer resources than are available in industry rather than academia. Our highly talented team of people made this possible,” Khajimiri added.
However, these people - a group of graduate students, doctoral students and researchers - now represent the vanguard of the rapidly developing space solar energy industry.
"We are creating the next generation of aerospace engineers," said SSPP researcher Harry A. Atwater, chair of the Otis Booth Leadership Section in Caltech's Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science and director of the Fluid Sunlight Alliance. research institute researching the use of sunlight to create liquid products that can be used in industrial chemicals, fuels and building materials or products.
The success or failure of the three measures will be measured differently. The most important test for DOLCE is that the structure fully expands from a collapsed configuration to an open configuration. For ALBA, a successful test will determine which PV cells operate with the greatest efficiency and fault tolerance. MAPLE aims to demonstrate the selective transfer of energy in free space to a variety of specific targets on demand.
"We have repeatedly turned to colleagues at JPL and the space industry in Southern California for guidance on the design and test procedures used to develop successful missions. We have tried to minimize the risk of failure, even if the development of an entirely new technology inherently risky." . ”, said Pellegrino.
The SSPP aims to ultimately ensure the global supply of affordable, renewable and clean energy. More information about SSPP is available on the program website: https://www.spacesolar.caltech.edu/
***
Your humble author says it's now a big hit. And private investor Donald Brain will be grateful to his wife Bridget Brain and her foundation. Sometimes great wealth is returned in a wonderful way.
Failure is impossible. The probe is in orbit and data is transmitted at each byte. The question arises, how will the tests and examinations be fully implemented? Hopefully this will be enough to spur more investment and more research.
Brian Westenhouse via New Energy and Fuels
Read more about Oilprice.com:
