Preliminary design and cost of a 1-megawatt solar-pumped iodide laser space-to-space transmission station
A preliminary conceptual design of a space-based solar pumped iodide laser emitting 1 megawatt of laser power for space-to-space power transmission is described. A near parabolic solar collector focuses sunlight onto the t-C4F9I (perfluoro-t butyl iodide) lasant within a transverse flow optical cavity. Using waste heat, a thermal system was designed to supply compressor and auxiliary power. System components were designed with weight and cost estimates assigned. Although cost is very approximate, the cost comparison of individual system components leads to valuable insights for future research. In particular, it was found that laser efficiency was not a dominant cost or weight factor, the dominant factor being the laser cavity and laser transmission optics. The manufacturing cost was approx. two thirds of the total cost with transportation to orbit the remainder. The flowing nonrenewable lasant comprised 20% of the total life cycle cost of the system and thus was not a major cost factor. The station mass was 92,000 kg without lasant, requiring approx. four shuttle flights to low Earth orbit where an orbital transfer vehicle will transport it to the final altitude of 6378 km.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA (USA). Langley Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 6048931
- Report Number(s):
- N-87-27185; NASA-TM-4002; L-16308; NAS-1.15:4002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
LASER POWER TRANSMISSION
COST
DESIGN
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
CHEMICAL LASERS
IODIDES
ORGANIC IODINE COMPOUNDS
PARABOLIC COLLECTORS
PUMPING
SOLAR RADIATION
CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
IODINE COMPOUNDS
LASERS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
POWER SUPPLIES
POWER TRANSMISSION
RADIATIONS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
STELLAR RADIATION
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
140702* - Solar Thermal Power Systems- Central Receiver
420300 - Engineering- Lasers- (-1989)