SPS International Agreements - Detailed

of panels would considerably reduce the amount of collision-free space for geostationary orbits. Thus, the gallium arsenide array could measure 4800 m x 9600 m, with a blanket area of 44.31 km and a planform area of 45.08 km . A silicon array could measure 5200 m x 10400 m, with a blanket area of 52.34 km and with a planform area of 54.08 km . Another estimate of the size of the collecting area of a photovoltaic system on a geostationary space object is between 100 and 200 km . The silicon solar cells consist of "two extremely large arrays."? Following the photovoltaic concept the usual design of this panel "consists of rectangular arrays about 2.7 mi x 3.2 mi (4.3 km x 5.2 km) separated by a microwave transmitter." Glaser suggests different dimensions for the photovoltaic solar cell where 5,000 MW are to be produced. This would require a space object measuring "about 4 kilometers by 11 kolometers with a transmitting antenna 1 kilometer in diameter." One hundred units were not considered to be burdensome on the geostationary orbital area/0 It has been estimated that over 100 space objects employing photovoltaic cells with dimensions of between 100 and 200 km would be required to meet only one-half of the new energy needs of the United States by the year Ibid., p. 28 at PD646-78C. ^Physical Nature and Technical Attributes of the Geostationary Orbit, U.N. Doc. A/AC.105/203, p. 17, August 29, 1977. Charles E. Bloomquist, A Survey of Satellite Power Stations, PRC R-1844, PRC Systems Sciences Co., p. 6 (September 1976). . . . Ibid. Peter E. Glaser, "Solar Power from Satellites," Hearings before the Subcommittee on Aerospace Technology and National Needs of the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, U.S. Senate, 94th Cong., 2nd Sess., p. 4 (1976). Cited hereafter as Hearings. Ibid., pp. 7, 33.

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