power systems after 2000. As pointed out earlier, these nuclear power systems are probably readily scalable to the 1 MWe range should demand for such upscaling develop. High-power nuclear reactor systems in the multimegawatt range are not likely to enter development until at least the mid-1990s, even with pressure from SDI proponents, and would certainly not be ready for flight qualification until 2010 at best. High-power energy storage devices such as homopolar generators and compulsators, as well as the more conventional chemically fueled turbogenerators, are nearing demonstration status today, and (in multiple-unit systems, if needed) could be available for burst-mode use in the 100-500 MWe range, and perhaps even up to 1 GWe, by 2000. These units would derive their low-level power during storage from either SP-100- type nuclear systems or photovoltaic panels, or utilize chemical fuels generated for use in regenerative fuel cells and stored in orbit. Of the four power transmission candidates, tethers are to be tested in space during a joint US-Italian program in the early 1990s, and should be available for centralstation use by 2000. Microwave and submillimeter-wave technologies are sufficiently advanced today so that their availability for deployment of space-qualified subsystems would be likely by 2000. Laser power transmission, although it will be space-qualified
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