[ExI] Space Project (power satellites)

[Adrian Tymes]

On Fri, Aug 7, 2020 at 10:59 AM Keith Henson via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> Perhaps someone has a proposal to get around this problem.  I have
> thought about it for the last 3-4 years and failed to come up with a
> solution except to construct power satellites entirely with
> robots/teleoperation.
>

I also think that teleconstruction is the best route for any on-orbit
construction needed for this application..


> If we build power satellites in LEO and try to fly them out to GEO,
> they get hit with space junk about 40 times.  (Excel spreadsheet on
> request.)
>

Data source, please?  That a single satellite going LEO->GEO will on
average be hit 40 times seems way higher than is supported by the data I am
aware of - which is that most satellites going from LEO to GEO get hit zero
times.


> The only
> solution I know is to build them above the junk at around 2000 km.
> People can't work there, it's in the lower Van Allen belt and lethal
> within hours.
>

What are you thinking they are built of, and how do those components get
there in ways that fully constructed satellites wouldn't?

For that matter, how are you thinking the components get to LEO, in ways
that are collectively cheaper than ground assembly then launching the whole
thing to LEO?


> The current baseline logistics is to collect parts in a 300 km orbit,
> then use a recycling tug with chemical fuel to get them out to the
> construction site at 2000 km (densely packed so they present a small
> target to getting hit).  It takes (IIRC) 827 m/s for a Hohmann
> transfer from 300 km out to 2000.  The fuel burned increases the cost
> of parts (and reaction mass) at the construction orbit by about 20%
> over the cost at 300 km.
>

Have you looked into ion engines for the tug instead of chemical engines?
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