On June 7, the South China Morning Post reported that according to the relation of scientists related to the China project, they plan to launch an ambitious solar space program in 2028, 2 years before the first schedule.
According to an updated plan, published in the peer review magazine “Chinese Space discipline and Technology”, in 2028 a satellite will be launched to test wireless energy transmission technology from space to earth from a tallness of 400 km.
In the article, scientists state that the satellite will convert solar energy into microwaves or laser beams and direct energy streams to permanent locations on Earth as well as moving satellites. The power produced will scope 10 kilowatts, which is adequate to meet the needs of respective households.
However, this technology has a immense possible for scaling and can become – as prof. Dong Shiwei of the National Key laboratory of Space discipline and Microwave Technology described in his article – “an effective origin contributing to the accomplishment of the targets of the carbon summit and neutrality“.
Dong and his colleagues informed that the plan was first developed in 2014, and its implementation accelerated in consequence to “ fresh technological developments and fresh situations in the country and abroad”.
What kind of situations? In March, the British government reported that it was considering a £16 billion proposal to put a pilot solar power plant in space by 2035 with the aid of various European defence contractors, including Airbus.
The U.S. Army reportedly besides tested akin technology on the X-37B spaceplane, while considering a $100 million experimentation to power a distant military facility as early as 2025.
NASA, which put the thought on the shelf for more than 2 decades due to the complexity and cost of infrastructure, reported last period that it was working with the US Air Force on feasibility studies.
According to the fresh Chinese plan, a full-sized solar space power plant will be built in 4 stages. 2 years after the launch of the first energy satellite into a geostationary orbit about 36,000 km from Earth, another satellite with more power will be sent to carry out further experiments.
By 2035, a 10 megawatt power plant will start transmitting energy to circumstantial military and civilian users.
By 2050 the power of the station is expected to increase to 2 gigawatts, i.e. to scope the power of the atomic power plant, and the cost of generating energy is to be reduced to a commercially affordable level.
Dong syndrome predicts that on a full beam scale, it can scope 230 watts per square metre on the surface of the earth, equal to direct sunlight. Microwaves at this level are commonly considered safe for humans, but it is not clear what impact energy reception stations will have on health. prof. Dong stated that “solar space farms can operate more efficiently than terrestrial ones, due to the fact that they can produce electricity around the clock, but it must be taken into account that specified a immense infrastructure in space can make many countries uncomfortable, especially those that have no technology or the ability to build it“.
Of course, on the occasion of the plan of orbital power plants, we talk about the anticipation of utilizing energy beams for military purposes – not only as a distant source, but besides as a weapon, for example, to combat ballistic missiles or enemy satellites.
Mr. Nobel bows down here.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Central Europe
Source: SCMP, spacenews.com
Leszek B. Glass
Email: [email protected]
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