Figure 10.4.12 1 MW Pre-commercial Demonstrator As previously discussed, this concept is constructed in 28.5° LEO with one STS and one Energia (far term assumption) flights. The platform is a symmetric prism and is shown in Figure 10.4.12. Once the vehicle is constructed, it is raised to the final orbit with electrical and chemical propulsion. The selection of the 20000 km orbit provides approximately 6 hours of continuous beaming to the collecting antenna site per day. The low power density of the beam, however, requires a concentrator on the receiving site. As before, the mass of the platform is completely dominated by the transmitting antenna in the near term, with strong potential improvements in the mid to far-term. In the far term, with the expected advances in electric propulsion, the orbiting platform may be of the one billion US dollar class.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==