An Evolutionary Satellite Power System for International Demonstration in Developing Nations MAKOTO NAGATOMO*, KIYOHIKO ITOH** SUMMARY: The ISAS solar power satellite working group is working on a concept of an SPS strawman model for demonstration of electric power supply to customers at the earliest opportunity. The SPS is modularized, so that each unit can be launched by a commercial launcher to an equatorial low earth orbit where it is assembled automatically. The satellite can supply electric power by microwave to rectennas at every pass. Based on this model, technological and programmatic characteristics of a small SPS are discussed. Introduction The SPS Reference System was designed for the SPS Concept Development and Evaluation Program (CDEP) of the U.S.A., to study the wide range of problems anticipated when such a system is introduced as a national power system of the world's largest industrialized country. As a result, many understandings have been obtained, and uncertain issues needing to be studied further have been indicated. The study concluded that the system was technically feasible and further study is required [1 and 2], The ISAS Solar Power Satellite Working Group is interested in a much smaller SPS as a strawman model study, which will be introduced and discussed in this paper. At first, We will explain briefly about the working group as the background of the strawman model study. ISAS SPS Working Group ISAS, which is responsible for implementation of the Japanese space science program, provides researchers of universities and government agencies with the convenience of nationwide research activities. A working group of the organization usually functions as a group to develop a concept of and conduct definition studies on a space mission. The purpose of the SPS working group established in 1987 was different from the other working groups, since it never intended to plan an SPS project for ISAS but, to remain as a research group to investigate the feasibility of "power from space" which was shown by the CDEP and the Reference system. The Scope of the SPS Working Group is described as follows: "The solar power satellite was proposed (by Glaser) to solve future problems caused by activities of human beings on the global scale [3], The research areas of SPS *Professor, Space Power Systems Section, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara 229, Japan, Fax number for the section: +81-427-59-4239 **Professor, Hokkaido University, North 13, West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060 Japan
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