A preliminary conceptual design of a space-based solar-pumped iodide laser emitting 1 MW of laser power for space-to-space power transmission is described. A near-parabolic solar collector focuses sunlight onto the t-C4F9I lasant within a transverse-flow optical cavity. Using waste heat, a thermal system supplies compressor and auxiliary power. The major system components are designed with weight estimates assigned. In particular, it is found that laser efficiency is not a dominant weight factor, the dominant factor being the laser transmission optics. The station mass is 92,000 kg, requiring approximately eight Shuttle flights to LEO, where an orbital transfer vehicle can transport it to the final altitude of 6378 km.
Preliminary conceptual design and weight of a one-megawatt space-based laser power station utilizing a solar-pumped iodine lasant
IECEC ''87 ; 1987 ; Philadelphia, PA, United States
1987-01-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
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