Space Manufacturing Facility Products in the Extended S.S.I. Plans The schedule for the space manufacturing facility after completion of the first solar power satellite follows. Let numbering of months begin with 0 when the first solar power satellite reaches geosynchronous orbit. The space manufacturing facility will selfreproduce 4 times beginning at month -5, when the first solar power satellite is completed. At the beginning of each new generation, an additional mass catcher is constructed; because its mass is 340 t, construction takes so will be neglected. Construction of 4 new generations of the lunar manufacturing facility also begins at month -5. The expansion is completed after 12 months, at month -5 + 12 = 7. Each of the 16 resulting space manufacturing facilities constructs the large mass driver reaction engines that will be used later for transporting the solar power satellite which each will next construct. As before, it requires 3 months to construct the large mass driver reaction engines; however, the large mass driver reaction engines from the original space manufacturing facility are returned after carrying the first solar power satellite to low earth orbit, so the original space manufacturing facility is idle during this time, or repairs the returned large mass driver reaction engines. The 16 solar power satellites are complete at month 7 + 3 + 12 = 22, and reach geosynchronous orbit at month 22 + 5 = 27. After the completion of this first group of 16 solar power satellites, this rate of production is maintained indefinitely. Numbering each of the extended S.S.I. plans in the order in which they were discussed, the time between first low earth orbit operation and arrival of the first group of 16 solar power satellites in geosynchronous orbit is SP-428 Plan In this plan, it was assumed 3000 men are required at the space manufacturing facility to produce 2.4 solar power satellites per year, and self-reproduction is not used [37], The mass of the completed space manufacturing facility is 11,600 to 13,400 t, but it begins operation with only 1988.5 t; [38] all but 76401 of the remainder is constructed from lunar resources.
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