FOREWORD The Satellite Power System (SPS) is a potential energy technology for the turn of the century and beyond. This report on the military implications of the SPS is one of a large number of studies performed under the auspices of the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which cover every major issue concerning the SPS concept. In the past few years, public awareness of the military implications of space technology has grown considerably. Thus the question of the potential military implications of the SPS has attracted a great deal of public discussion and debate. Could the power transmission beam from a power satellite be modified for use as a weapon? Given the huge size and the large investment required for each power satellite, wouldn’t they become highly attractive and vulnerable targets for attack by hostile countries or terrorists? Might the SPS represent a further escalation of an expensive armaments race into newer and more lethal means of destruction? This report provides a detailed and comprehensive discussion of the military implications of the SPS. Internationalization of ownership, management, and control for initial development of SPS may be feasible. Experience to date with large-scale international projects, however, suggests that funding difficulties and management and control questions (particularly when great sums of money are involved) might delay or even stifle development of the system. In addition, a number of salient U.S. foreign policy concerns, including technology transfer and dependence on foreign energy sources, would tend to weaken arguments for internationalization. Therefore, although this study addresses multinational program arrangements and implications, the preponderant orientation is toward a unilateral United States program.
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