Figure 7-22. Total initial SPS system acceleration due to orbital transfer thruster firings. set forth earlier, for maintaining a nearly total sunlit orbit will require simultaneous orbit raising and inclination changing (out-of-plane) steering to be successfully accomplished. These analyses, although set forth for a photovoltaic SPS concept, should apply in a near proportional manner to a solar thermal SPS concept. An advantage of the solar thermal concept is the absence of a solar array degradation problem. However, some studies have indicated that the Van Allen radiation may cause mirror or other reflective surfaces to suffer degradation of original properties if exposed during LEO to GEO orbital transfer.
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