The GEO operational base will also conduct the routine maintenance and "onboard" inspection of all individual SPS satellite units after they are operational by sending resident GEO base crewmembers to visit several SPS units on periodic inspection and maintenance tours. Emergency visits to any SPS unit would also be managed by the GEO base. 5. SPS (Individual Unit) Ground Control The primary authority for operations and control of each individual SPS unit after it becomes operational will reside with a ground control facility located at the ground rectenna station. The SPS ground control elements for each of the 112 SPS units complete the basic elements comprising the ground-based support system. It is expected that the SPS control facility will manage the power transmission from the SPS unit in orbit to the rectenna and into the interface with a ground-based utility distribution system. This control facility will monitor the performance and status of the SPS systems and will coordinate as required with the Program Headquarters Mission Control facility for assistance and with the GEO operational base for "revisit" operations. Position and tracking information for all 112 SPS units will be managed and coordinated by the Program Headquarters Mission Control facility. Potential conflicts or potential in-orbit collisions will be identified and the necessary operations required to correct the situation will be determined and implemented by the Program Headquarters Mission Control and the respective SPS Ground Control facilities of each involved SPS unit. E. Key Considerations and Areas For Further Investigation During the development of the SPS program model and the overall mission management concept for SPS operations and control, many new and challenging functions and tasks have been identified that are lacking in technology development and/or analysis in significant depth; therefore, many critical areas requiring operational and design trade-offs cannot be evaluated at this stage of our understanding. However, the following concerns have been selected as having the most significant impact on the SPS design and operations concept during this study effort. 1. Prelaunch, Launch, and Recovery Operations The Program Model discussed in subsection VII-B implies the magnitude of ground support operations involved in the daily flow of personnel and material, equipment, etc. in various packaged forms, which have to be transported from the original location by some ground transportation element to the launch site, where they are received, unloaded, processed, and stored for assignment to a launch vehicle. (See
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