• the vast majority of spacecraft require relatively small power levels, typically on the order of 2 to 5 kW for communications, science, and Earth applications spacecraft. Space Shuttle/Spacelab microgravity missions require considerably higher power levels of about 12 kW, but such missions occur only once or twice every year, and each has a duration of about 7-10 days. (i.e. average annual power is less than 0.5 kW) • spacecraft orbit the Earth at different altitudes and inclinations, from low Earth orbit at 400 km and 28.5°, to sun synchronous orbits at 900 km and 98.5°. all the way to geosynchronous orbits at 36.000 km and 0° inclination. • spacecraft are separated by enormous and continuously changing distances relative to other spacecraft. Depending on the orbit parameters, these distances can range from hundreds to tens of thousands of kilometres. • many spacecraft operate in a dynamic fashion relative to the Earth. Astronomy spacecraft must have the freedom to re-orient themselves to acquire particular targets, and Earth observation spacecraft are Earth pointing, meaning they rotate once every orbit. Therefore, the impacts of having to rely on a central Powersat might be seen as a system which could unnecessarily: • Constrain the operational flexibility of the spacecraft in terms of its orbital motion. • Force spacecraft to stay within close proximity to the central power station, • Add complexity to the spacecraft that must already be equipped with an integral power generation and storage system for initial operations, and covering periods of outage.
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