Figure 36 presents a typical timeline for the silicon option for constructing the initial LEO and GEO bases and the COTV's required to then construct SPS's. Six months are required to construct the LEO base. Three months are required to then construct the first COTV, three additional months to construct the second and third COTV's, and a year to complete the rest of the fleet needed to transport SPS materials from LEO to GEO at the rate of 10 GW per year. Once the first COTV is completed, it begins to transport materials to GEO needed for the GEO construction base. The second and third COTV's transport the remainder of this material. Nine months are required to construct the GEO base. After two years, all of the major elements are available to begin production of the first SPS. For the gallium option, it has been assumed that the GEO base would be built first in LEO where it would construct the COTV's. Then two COTV's would transfer the base to GEO and leave only staging facilities in LEO. Figure 37 shows estimates of the number of flights required, payload characteristics, launch vehicle packaging factors assumed, and numbers of people associated with building the LEO base, the COTV's and the GEO base over the initial two-year period. Data is presented for both silicon and GaAlAs options. Figure 38 presents a typical timeline for construction of two 5 GW SPS's. All the material for one SPS is taken to LEO by HLLV flights in a sixmonth period. It is transferred to COTV's for six-month trips to GEO, with all materials arriving at GEO over a six-month period. Construction takes place during this six-month arrival period. While the construction of the first SPS takes place, material for the second is being taken to LEO, transferred to COTV's, and is enroute to GEO. When the first satellite is complete, the initial material for the second begins arriving at GEO. Although the entire sequence to build any two 5 GW SPS's takes 18 months, once the process is underway, two SPS's are being produced every year.
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