Quote from: Robotbeat on 05/04/2025 05:12 pmQuote from: daedalus1 on 05/04/2025 04:50 pmLaunch costs alone. …Meh. Should get down to air freight costs eventually. For solar panels which have a specific power of 100-200W/kg, that’s just $0.10/Watt.You can’t just do these things based on vibe. You have to calculate.Yours is not a calculation, it's a supposition.
Quote from: daedalus1 on 05/04/2025 04:50 pmLaunch costs alone. …Meh. Should get down to air freight costs eventually. For solar panels which have a specific power of 100-200W/kg, that’s just $0.10/Watt.You can’t just do these things based on vibe. You have to calculate.
Launch costs alone. …
Under this agreement, Mission Space will provide real-time space weather data and predictive models to support the Star Catcher Network, which in turn will deliver additional power to Mission Space’s satellites under a newly signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The collaboration aims to boost both performance and resilience in orbit.At the core of Mission Space’s forecasting capabilities is Zohar, the company’s next-generation space weather payload. Zohar is equipped with advanced spectrometers and Cherenkov detectors that capture high-energy particles in real time, enabling multi-point monitoring of the space radiation environment. This data feeds into Mission Space’s forecasting platform, improving accuracy and situational awareness across low Earth orbit.The Star Catcher Network provides a first-of-its-kind space-to-space power beaming service. By transmitting concentrated solar energy to clients’ existing onboard solar arrays — with no retrofit required — it allows satellite operators to generate up to five to ten times more power, enabling energy-intensive operations like advanced data processing, extended mission durations, and more capable payloads.
https://x.com/mission_space/status/1915033210167214333Star Catcher and Mission Space Partner to Revolutionize Space Weather Monitoring and Power Delivery [Apr 23]QuoteUnder this agreement, Mission Space will provide real-time space weather data and predictive models to support the Star Catcher Network, which in turn will deliver additional power to Mission Space’s satellites under a newly signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The collaboration aims to boost both performance and resilience in orbit.At the core of Mission Space’s forecasting capabilities is Zohar, the company’s next-generation space weather payload. Zohar is equipped with advanced spectrometers and Cherenkov detectors that capture high-energy particles in real time, enabling multi-point monitoring of the space radiation environment. This data feeds into Mission Space’s forecasting platform, improving accuracy and situational awareness across low Earth orbit.The Star Catcher Network provides a first-of-its-kind space-to-space power beaming service. By transmitting concentrated solar energy to clients’ existing onboard solar arrays — with no retrofit required — it allows satellite operators to generate up to five to ten times more power, enabling energy-intensive operations like advanced data processing, extended mission durations, and more capable payloads.
Did anyone notice the size of this thing? 1 to 4 km diameter!(snip)
Quote from: catdlr on 05/03/2025 05:12 pmQuote from: Robotbeat on 05/03/2025 05:06 pmQuote from: Greg Hullender on 05/03/2025 04:50 pmDid anyone notice the size of this thing? 1 to 4 km diameter!It's interesting that they're also considering satellites not in GEO which would direct power to different surface stations at different times. That suggests you could even use geosynchronous satellites to augment surface-based renewables. For example, you could imagine directing power to the US east coast in the late afternoon, when local solar starts to diminish, making up the gap until power demand starts to drop in the evening. Then shift west as needed. Of course a really good power grid would eliminate the need for this, but, at this point, I'm not sure which will come first.Bingo.Honestly, just using solar and batteries is usually gonna be a lot cheaper, but I’m sort of surprised at how cheap of this stuff is getting, so there may be use cases anyway.If they can figure out how to direct (jump) power from geo to neo, then to the ground, any place on the surface could have power when needed, any time of day or night.That brings a vision of rectenna grids in LEO accepting power from GEO SPS and sending it on to much smaller ground rectennas as needed. Would a much higher density beam be allowed from GEO to LEO to reduce the minimum sixe of the power transfer sat??
Quote from: Robotbeat on 05/03/2025 05:06 pmQuote from: Greg Hullender on 05/03/2025 04:50 pmDid anyone notice the size of this thing? 1 to 4 km diameter!It's interesting that they're also considering satellites not in GEO which would direct power to different surface stations at different times. That suggests you could even use geosynchronous satellites to augment surface-based renewables. For example, you could imagine directing power to the US east coast in the late afternoon, when local solar starts to diminish, making up the gap until power demand starts to drop in the evening. Then shift west as needed. Of course a really good power grid would eliminate the need for this, but, at this point, I'm not sure which will come first.Bingo.Honestly, just using solar and batteries is usually gonna be a lot cheaper, but I’m sort of surprised at how cheap of this stuff is getting, so there may be use cases anyway.If they can figure out how to direct (jump) power from geo to neo, then to the ground, any place on the surface could have power when needed, any time of day or night.
Quote from: Greg Hullender on 05/03/2025 04:50 pmDid anyone notice the size of this thing? 1 to 4 km diameter!It's interesting that they're also considering satellites not in GEO which would direct power to different surface stations at different times. That suggests you could even use geosynchronous satellites to augment surface-based renewables. For example, you could imagine directing power to the US east coast in the late afternoon, when local solar starts to diminish, making up the gap until power demand starts to drop in the evening. Then shift west as needed. Of course a really good power grid would eliminate the need for this, but, at this point, I'm not sure which will come first.Bingo.Honestly, just using solar and batteries is usually gonna be a lot cheaper, but I’m sort of surprised at how cheap of this stuff is getting, so there may be use cases anyway.
Did anyone notice the size of this thing? 1 to 4 km diameter!It's interesting that they're also considering satellites not in GEO which would direct power to different surface stations at different times. That suggests you could even use geosynchronous satellites to augment surface-based renewables. For example, you could imagine directing power to the US east coast in the late afternoon, when local solar starts to diminish, making up the gap until power demand starts to drop in the evening. Then shift west as needed. Of course a really good power grid would eliminate the need for this, but, at this point, I'm not sure which will come first.
