SOME JUDICIAL AND REGULATORY FACTORS S. L. Entres General Technology Systems Ltd. Recently, General Technology Systems Ltd. carried out, on behalf of the UK Department of Industry, a study of the future industrialization of space. The major effort was devoted to Space Power Systems (SPS). This particular part of the study was based largely on a search and critical evaluation of published information, mainly of US origin and available up to the end of 1978. This independent assessment of SPS technology and application has resulted in a number of major conclusions. Three factors clearly spoke in favor of SPS: (i) the technological assessment indicated that the SPS concept is technically entirely feasible as an engineering project; (ii) the economic assessment has suggested (though less optimistically than those presented in some published papers) that electricity could be technically produced by means of SPS at a sensible cost; there were no indications that the resulting electricity prices could not be competitive in the context of base load electricity supply after the turn of the century; (iii) the amount of solar power collectable through interception of power stations orbiting up to the geostationary distance is substantial and could make a welcome contribution to the energy requirements not only by regional, but also by global standards. The investigation has, however, clearly shown that the ultimate practicability of a wide use of SPS depends crucially on a range of factors which exceed in importance by far the mere concept of SPS technology in question. Foremost among those factors are: (i) The ready availability of construction materials and consumables needed for SPS which must, for economic reasons, be introduced on a massive scale; (ii) The availability of formidable facilities for the corresponding space transport of man and cargo as well as the acquisition of permits for the required flight routes; (iii) The deployment in space of industrial personnel in large numbers; (iv) The environmental hazards created by SPS operation and, especially, the not inconsiderable hazards created by heavy space transport schedules during periods of construction; (v) The need for massive financing over relatively short periods of time; (vi) Gaining access to large land or sea areas needed for the reception of the transmitted electromagnetic energy; (vii) The pressures which will be exerted by non-energy interests to utilize SPS platforms for multi-function duties, particularly in view of the likely multi-national character of SPS projects; (viii) The complex issues which would arise in a partnership, say, between, on the one hand, Europe with a worthwhile industrial potential relevant to SPS technology but with an inadequate technical infra-structure for the corresponding field of heavy space transport and, on the other hand, a partner that is competent in both these areas.
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