Selected papers on Space Solar Power 1978-2016

1978: Solar Power Satellites: An AIAA Position Paper. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, November 29, 1978. 18 pages [PDF 0.1 MB]

1985: Solar Power Satellite Built of Lunar Materials. Space Research Associates study for the Space Studies Institute. Provided courtesy of Space Studies Institute. 100 pages. [PDF 1.5 MB]

1987: Rectenna Technology Program: Ultra Light 2.45 GHz Rectenna and 29 GHz Rectenna. William C. Brown. NASA Contractor Report 179558. Raytheon Company. 100 pages. [PDF 6.5 MB]

1989: Second Beamed Space-Power Workshop. NASA Conference Publication 3037, 1989. 437 pages. [PDF 9.8 MB]

1993: Comparison of Selected Laser Beam Power Missions to Conventionally Powered Missions. NASA Technical Memorandum 106110. Prepared for First Annual Wireless Power Transmission Conference, Center for Space Power, Texas A&M University, February 23-25, 1993. 23 pages. [PDF 1.3 MB]

1997: A Fresh Look at Space Solar Power: New Architectures, Concepts, and Technologies. John C. Mankins. International Astronautical Federation IAF-97-R.2.03. 12 pages. [PDF 629K] [HTML]

1999: Advanced Electric Propulsion for Space Solar Power Satellites. Steve Oleson. NASA Glenn Research Center. NASA/TM-1999-209307. 17 pages. [PDF 2.4 MB]

1999: Spaceport Operations Assessment for Space Solar Power Earth to Orbit Transportation Requirements. Edgar Zapata, NASA Kennedy Space Center, and Dr. John Olds, Georgia Institute of Technology. 12 pages. [PDF 466K]

2000: Final Report NSF-NASA Workshop on Autonomous Construction and Manufacturing for Space Electrical Power Systems. 51 pages. [PDF 268K]

2000: Testimony before House Science Committee Hearings on Solar Power Satellites

  • Statement of Ralph H. Nansen, President, Solar Space Industries [HTML]
  • Statement of John C. Mankins, Manager, Advanced Concepts Studies, NASA Office of Space Flight [HTML]
  • Statement of Jerry Grey, Director, Aerospace and Science Policy, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [HTML]
  • Statement of Dr. Molly K. Macauley, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future [HTML]

2000: Solar Power Constellations: Implications for the United States Air Force. Kim Ramos, Major, USAF. Air Command and Staff College, Air University. 39 pages. [PDF 150K]

2001: Integrated Orbit, Attitude, and Structural Control Systems Design for Space Solar Power Satellites. Bong Wie and Carlos Roithmayer. 133 pages. [PDF 1.6 MB]

2002: Summary of Recent Results from NASA’s Space Solar Power (SSP) Programs and the Current Capabilities of Microwave WPT Technologies. James McSpadden, Boeing, and John Mankins, NASA. 24 pages. [PDF 1.5 MB]

2002: Solar Power Satellites: Recent Developments. Frank E. Little. Center for Space Power, Texas A & M University. 12 pages. [PDF 335K]

2003: Optical Power Beaming from Satellite Power Stations: Economic Imperatives and Provision of High Value-Adding Electrical Power. Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, John H. Nuckolls, and Lowell L. Wood. Originally appeared as “Civilian Power from Space in the Early 21st Century” presented at Aspen Global Change Institute Energy Options and Paths to Climate Stabilization Workshop, 6-11 July 2003 (Preprint UCRL-JC-154032, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, June, 2003). 40 pages. [PDF 490K]

2004: Reinventing the Solar Power Satellite. Geoffrey A. Landis. NASA/TM-2004-212743. 35 pages. [PDF 399K]

2004: 4th International Conference on Solar Power from Space, Granada, Spain

  • “Benefits of International Cooperation in a Low Equatorial Orbit SPS Pilot Plant Demonstrator Project.” Hideo Matsuoka & Patrick Collins. [HTML]
  • “Comparison of Solar Terrestrial and Space Power Generation for Europe.” Norbert Geuder, et. al. 8 pages. [PDF 1 MB]
  • “Synergies Between Solar Power Supply from Space and Passenger Space Travel.” Patrick Collins. [HTML]

2004: Special Section on Space Solar Power Systems, Radio Science Bulletin: Bulletin 310, September 2004 and Bulletin 311, December 2004. Papers from the 2003 Japan-United States Joint Workshop on Space Solar Power Systems at Kyoto University, Japan.

2006: An Evolutionary Model for Space Solar Power. Nicholas Boechler, Sameer Hameer, Sam Wanis, Narayanan Komerath, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. American Institute of Physics Conference Proceedings, February 2006. 8 pages [PDF]

2008: Energizing the Future of Space Exploration: Applications of Space Solar Power. Henry W. Brandhorst, Jr., Space Research Institute, Auburn University. 8 pages [PDF 0.1 MB]

2008: Recommendation on Space-Based Solar Power. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Space Enterprise Council. 3 pages. [PDF 31K]

2008: The End of Easy Energy and What To Do about It. A White paper by Michael Snead. 126 pages [PDF 5.5 MB]. Also a 2-page summary “America’s Energy Future is at Risk without Space Solar Power” [PDF 400K].

2009: Financial and Organizational Analysis for a Space Solar Power System: A Business Plan to Make Space Solar Power a Reality. Sun Xin, Evelyn Panier, Cornelius Zund, Raul Gutierrez Gomez. Toulouse Business School, France. May 18, 2009. 179 pages. [PDF 10.7 MB]

2009: Space Water: The Vision for Producing Fresh Water Using Space Power, Space Water Consensus Group, www.spacewx.com, April 2, 2009. 17 pages. [PDF]

2009: The Vision for Producing Fresh Water Using Space Power, W. Kent Tobiska, Space Environment Technologies, AIAA-2009-6817. 12 pages. [PDF 2.9 MB]

2009: Space-Based Solar Power: Possible Defense Applications and Opportunities for NRL Contribution. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC, 23 October 2009 (updated from 23 November 2008). 106 pages. [PDF 3.0 MB].

2010: Towards an Early Profitable PowerSat. Al Globus. October 2010. 7 pages. [PDF]

2010: Kalam-National Space Society Energy Technology Universal Initiative. R. Gopalaswami, October 2010. 13 pages. [PDF]

2011: US-India Power Exchange Towards a Space Power Grid. Brendan Dessanti, Nicholas Picon, Carlos Rios, Shaan Shah, Narayanan Komerath, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. International Space Development Conference, May, 2011. 9 pages. [PDF]

2011: Towards an Early Profitable PowerSat Part II. Al Globus. May 2011. 15 pages. [PDF]

2011: Operational Demonstration of Space Solar Power (SSP): Economic Analysis of a First Revenue Satellite (FRS). A. C. Charania, John R. Olds, and Dominic Depasquale, Spaceworks Enterprises. 7 pages. [PDF]

2011: A Space Solar Power Industry for $2 Billion or Your Money Back. Al Globus. July 2011. 7 pages [PDF]

2012: Mirrors in Space for Low-Cost Terrestrial Solar Electric Power at Night. Lewis M. Fraas, JX Crystals Inc, Issaquah, WA. 7 pages [PDF]

2016: Lunar Based Self Replicating Solar Factory. Justin Lewis-Weber. New Space, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2016, pp 53-62. [PDF] [WEB] [Article in Popular Science]

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