UK govt funds programme to install 'space-based' solar power (SBSP) stations

The UK Space Agency has been provided with state funds to install the Space-based solar power (SBSP) stations in space that will beam solar rays back to Earth using lasers as a sustainable energy source. The industry-led project involves US company, Moog, which will develop a Small Launch Orbital Manoeuvring Vehicle (SL-OMV) in Reading, Berkshire, UK on behalf of Lockheed Martin. According to the UK government’s release, in a space contract worth £340,000, Moog will develop solar panels to be installed in the space in collaboration with the Glasgow-based AAC Clyde Space company. 

“This is a great example of how the UK government’s spaceflight programme is using national and international expertise to establish a strong and competitive commercial space launch industry in the UK,” Deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency, Ian Annett said in the release.

“Scotland is home to a number of potential spaceport locations and some of the UK’s most innovative space companies, and the whole country will benefit from the project,” she added.  

Moog’s Orbital Manoeuvring Vehicle, thought of as the ‘space tug’ is deployed from a rocket that carried six different satellites into their desired orbit. AAC Clyde Space’s solar panel will provide sustainable power to many such rockets and satellites. “The SL-OMV will be a game-changer for small satellites and will enable the upcoming UK launchers to deploy the complex mega-constellations that AAC Clyde Space and others are developing right now,” AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes said. 

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[Earth's space is devoid of clouds and has no day or night, this cannot obstruct the sun's ray – making a space solar station a constant zero-carbon power source. Credit: UK Space Agency]

Research headed by Frazer-Nash

The research for space solar stations will be headed by consulting firm Frazer-Nash, which will look after the engineering involved in the project. Space business manager at Frazer-Nash, Martin Soltau, reportedly said that with vast space, energy and aerospace sectors expertise, and armed with SBSP technologies, Frazer-Nash was prepared to assess the potential of the sci-fi project. The firm partnered with Oxford Economics, which has vast space sector experience, Soltau informed. meanwhile, US Moog has been designing and manufacturing components and systems for satellites and launch vehicles for more than 60 years.

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