field of vision of the PCM with its optics), nor a master laser with its power supply, nor the relatively complex system for the protection of the master laser from the high-energy beam. An acceptable diameter of input optics of the on board PCM depends on both the threshold of the PCM and on the power needed for the ground-based PCM in the main amplifier. The first limit gives a diameter of 23 cm for the parameters mentioned above. The second limit for the steady-state regime gives 2.2 cm. This diameter is sufficient to return some part of the laser radiation directly to the laser station and to provide a stable interaction between the laser station and the satellite in the steady state regime. The system has its most difficult operating stage at the very beginning after being switched on. A special temporary regime could be utilized during this operating stage. Better connections between the laser station and the satellite could be achieved both by an increase in the on-board optics diameter and by the laser station having a more powerful start regime. It is possible to combine these changes. Short-term power shortage could be estimated at a ratio of the laser spot area at the satellite input without phase conjugation (this area is defined by laser beam divergence in the atmosphere of about 1 - 2 arc seconds) to the diffraction-limited spot area. In our example, this lessens by about 104. Two orders of magnitude could be compensated by using four on-board optics with a diameter of20-25 cm, and two orders elsewhere - by a special, more power start regime of the laser station. The start regime should be at least as long as the light propagation time from the laser station to the satellite and backwards to define the ground-based laser regime completely. For GEO this time is about 0.27 s. The scientific and technical principles mentioned above shows that the system for the space platform power supply directly from the ground-based energy grid could be realized. The basis of such a realization is already well-developed. The concept and main problems have been investigated in large scale experiments. There are key problems or evidence to design others: On-Board Systems: • Energy converters (acceptable efficiency and specific mass), • Techniques for generation of reference beam: * PCM or corner reflectors, * Small-sized optical systems, • Standard cooling systems, • Buffer systems for energy storage and conditioning.
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