SpaceElevatorPower

Power Beaming System

Power is needed for everything and effective delivery over 10's of thousands of kilometers is not easy. Various methods were examined and laser power beaming was selected for the baseline. This is a mature yet still rapidly evolving technology.

	Value	Units
Power input	20 - 150	MW
Power in laser beam	2 - 15	MW
Primary Beam diameter	10-30	meters
Wavelength	TBD	nm
Tracking accuracy	TBD	mrad
Power source	Solid-state disk laser

Status

Boeing has demonstrated operation of a 25kW laser of teh kind we need and claim they can build MW lasers Beaming 9+kW lasers over short distances are being demonstrated at the Spaceward Space Elevator Games Adaptive optics have demonstrated long distance capabilities Include images and videos from the SE Games Include design write-ups

Delivering power over the distance of the elevator is a challenge but quickly being addressed by current technology.

Work Needed

Item	Notes
Categorize the available laser systems	Select for overall capital and operational cost, efficiency of recievers, lifetime, weather considerations, platform stability requirements,...
Detail optics system	Size, performance, cost, ... considerations.
Safety issues with high power laser	Outline the requirements for safe operations

Return to Overview