Orbital and RF Power Beaming Analysis for Space-Based Solar Power Systems

Space-based solar (SBS) has the potential to provide spacecraft-to-spacecraft power transmission, powering space-based computers serving artificial intelligence, and contribute to addressing terrestrial solar resource intermittency. This paper identified and assessed system efficiencies, and the orbital analysis required for SBS power beaming to remote terrestrial areas and to other spacecraft from SBS systems on Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO). Specific scenarios are presented to demonstrate simulation capabilities using Matlab/Simulink which provide orbit visualization, control of classical orbital elements (COEs) to determine power beaming overhead time to remote locations and other satellites, as well as eclipse cycles and solar capture forecasts. Other simulation results to support SBS operations include earth–space propagation and transmission losses for desired radiofrequency (RF) microwave power beaming wavelengths. We identified the SBS orbit requirements for continuous space-to-earth power beaming accounting for overhead time, earth coverage and RF spot size, solar capture, and power delivered at the receiver site. A total of 10,000 km MEO circular orbits with 55-degree inclination are potential candidates for SBS satellites, with overhead time for a single satellite forecasted at 28%, covering 30% of earth, while optimizing solar capture at 97%. Technology improvements can increase predicted power transmission efficiencies by 5–10% through RF beam and phase focusing. While other studies focus on a single orbital regime, this paper presents a novel comparative analysis, using an integrated model to quantitatively assess the tradeoffs in coverage and link performance between LEO, MEO, and inclined GEO architectures for SBS.