10-5. Feasibility Study of 35 GHz Microwave Power Transmission in Space K. CHANG, J. C. McCLEARY & m. a. pollock Summary The availability of power for use in space is a key requirement for future space activities. This paper is a study of the feasibility of a 35 GHz microwave power transmission system in space. It was found that a DC to DC transmission efficiency better than 50% can be achieved over a distance of 50 km by using a transmitting antenna of 20 m in diameter and a receiving antenna of 40 m in diameter. Technology requirements at 35 GHz have been assessed and several stages of development have been proposed. 1. Introduction The availability of power for use in space is a key requirement for future space activities. At present, most satellites carry solar panels, batteries and related equipment. These methods of power generation and storage are disadvantageous because of difficulties in packaging the power system, unfolding the system in space, and orienting the system toward the sun. Achieving high output power is also difficult with these methods. Power becomes the limiting factor in the design of most systems. To overcome the problem of power limitation in many future space missions, a more practical method may be to deploy a Utility Power Satellite (UPS) in space. The UPS will generate power using solar, nuclear, or other techniques. The power would then be converted into microwave or millimetre-wave beams and transmitted to users through space. This paper reports preliminary results of a feasibility study for a 35 GHz microwave power transmission system in space. Compared with other power transmission techniques, the transmission of microwave/millimetre-wave power in space has many advantages which include higher efficiency, lower cost and better availability of required technology. The major reason for selecting operating frequencies of 35 GHz or higher over lower frequencies is that higher frequencies allow transmission over longer distances with smaller antennas and rectennas. A computer program has been developed to facilitate the system study. It was found that a DC to DC transmission efficiency above 50% can be achieved over a distance of 50 km by using a transmitting antenna of 20 m in diameter and a receiving rectenna of 40 m in diameter. For a transmission distance of 10 km, the antenna sizes can be reduced to 8 m in diameter for the transmitting antenna and 20 m in diameter The authors are in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3128, USA. Paper number IAF-ICOSP89-10-5.
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