Cyclic method of centralised power supply for orbital spacecraft

Abstract

Reliable power supply for spacecraft is one of the central problems in determining the future of space technology and applications. The traditional solution of this problem implies having an autonomous power plant on board each spacecraft. However, there exists an alternative spacecraft's power supply concept based on the use of a centralised power supply from the ground or space based power plants. According this concept, power is transmitted to the user satellites by laser or microwave beams. However these studies suppose the use of a continuous mode of remote power supply. In the case of transmission through a laser beam, this mode requires a significant number of transmitting devices on board of the powersat which makes the design problem extremely hard. One of the natural ways to a design problem resolution is the use of periodical successive service of the user spacecraft by one or a limited number of re-aimed power transmitters. This paper discusses some aspects connecting the development of a space based-centralised spacecraft power supply system using a periodical (cyclic) mode of remote power supply.