Fig. 4. Early factory. A block diagram of a typical factory is shown in Fig. 5. Electrical power is supplied from a space platform in the early factory. A dedicated solar array will be provided for all-up one. Heat may be rejected with a dedicated radiator. Structural interface to the platform is taken via the berthing adapter. The all-up factory is shown in Fig. 6. Its configuration is similar to a solar power satellite, though the factory is much smaller. If an antenna of SPS is replaced with a processing facility, it will become a space factory, and the same technology to construct the SPS will be available for building the factory. The length of the factory with a solar array is expected to be 600 m. It will weigh about 300,000 kg. Provision of gas and raw material or recovery of products is postulated to be made every six months, though number of productivity is unknown now. Several decades will be required to build the all-up factory. DESIGN PHILOSOPHY FOR SSPF EQUIPMENTS The first parameter we consider is weight. As processing equipment works in a zero-gravity environment, heavy flanges or stainless steel plumbing which are a prerequisite for a 1 g field on a ground base are not necessary. In space, a bell jar surrounded by a thin metalized foil may be sufficient for a plasma chamber. Of
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