SSPP
As far as the legislative stage is concerned, Wednesday’s passing of a minor amendment to an innocuous US House resolution wasn’t necessarily a landmark. But for space exploration enthusiasts, Proposed amendment Rep. Kevin Mullin (California Democrat)’s remarks were, in some ways, a big deal.
because, for the first time since the 1970sthe idea of space-based solar power is being taken up legislatively by the US Congress.
“Collecting solar energy in space and sending it to the surface as electricity is not yet commercially viable on a large scale, but we already know from early research that it can be done,” Malin said. rice field. during a meeting Science, Space and Technology Committee on Wednesday.
Mullin had called for an amendment to House Resolution 2988, which directs NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy to work together in key research and development areas such as propulsion, artificial intelligence, astrophysics, earth sciences and quantum computing. . He tried to add space-based solar power to the list. The amendment was overwhelmingly approved by a bipartisan committee vote.
In his remarks, Marin said Europe, Japan, China and the UK are all researching the technology and considering space demonstrations.And in the United States, the California Institute of Technology recently demonstrated Ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and beam detectable power to Earth.
“Many of the technologies that once made this energy source a work of science fiction are now much cheaper, easier to implement and within reach than ever before,” Mullin said. “But it’s not inevitable that this promising research will become feasible at scale. There are still scientific and engineering hurdles to overcome. And even if the US doesn’t do it, friends and We know our global competitors will do.”
send a message
The bill, which includes Mr. Mullin’s amendments, is scheduled to be voted on by a committee on Thursday. If it passes as expected, it will likely become part of the House-approved bill later this year.
The House resolution does not include funding for these efforts, nor does NASA and the Department of Energy abandon everything tomorrow and start working on space-based solar power. But the resolution signals that Congress is interested in seeing NASA and the Department of Energy see some action on the issue. This could portend eventual funding.
The amendment was endorsed by several space advocacy groups before it was passed, including the Space Alliance, the Space Frontier Foundation, and the National Space Association. “This is the first time since the 1970s that the idea of space solar power has been introduced into law,” said Jonathan Daigle, policy manager at the American Space Association. He characterized the amendment as a “small but important victory.”
NASA would only need to provoke a little on the matter. At the International Space Development Conference last year, NASA officials said The agency had initiated a short-term study to evaluate the potential of space solar power. This is the first time in almost 20 years that the agency has tackled the issue in earnest. However, the study has not been published because there were obvious policy concerns in the first draft.Revised study may finally be released in late June or July.
Part of the renewed interest in solar power from space is due to expanding launch capabilities, particularly the potential for SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle to carry large payloads into orbit with reusable first and second stages. . This dramatic improvement in launch costs and mass is part of the economic concern with this technology, namely that it is often more efficient to install solar panels in the desert than in space. may help address the issue.