Chapter 6, Environment and Safety Issues • The manufacturing and operational phase of the Space Solar Power Program will not affect safety of spaceflight; other spacecrafts will not be affected. • Solar power satellites at the end of life or out of control will not be dangerous to the Earth and its inhabitants. • An evaluation of the perturbations of international communication links is necessary: the effects should be negligible. • Actual present knowledge about effects on the atmosphere are unsatisfactory. • Actual present knowledge about effects on biota are unsatisfactory. • Power beams directed towards the Earth should be limited to specifically designated areas; inside these areas there should be a very low level of impact on biota; outside these areas there should virtually be no effect; this is to avoid damage due to mal-use or malfunctioning. Chapter?, Power Systems • Laser power beaming as compared to microwave power beaming is considered to be less efficient, more susceptible to atmospheric influences but requires smaller receiver areas. • Receiving areas need a buffer zone to ensure safety of people, both in case of microwave and laser power beaming. Chapter 8, Space Transportation • Launch costs are very high and a possible “show-stopper” for large scale solar power application (a show-stopper is a circumstance that makes a project unfeasible). • It is possible to reduce launch costs by a factor of 10, when design, manufacturing and operation are optimized with regard to launch costs. Chapter 9, Manufacturing, Operations and Construction • Space solar power satellites will be of the class 'Large Scale Sructures' and require according technology and modelling. • Utilization of non-terrestrial resources is a means to reduce the amount of mass to be transferred from Earth to space. • Construction of both in-orbit and non-terrestrial structures require major technological development. • Manufacturing of the components of the Space Solar Power Program will be done with materials with a high occurence on Earth, moon, asteroids, etc. and will save important materials (oil, coal,...) for other purposes than power supply. Chapter 10, Design Examples Specific assumptions made in the various design examples can be found in the relevant chapter. Chapter 11, Finance • Programs for developing/realizing solar power from space should strive for commercial viability. • A Space Solar Power Program does not provide return of investment in the early phases
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