SSP satellite concept is illustrated here. Other variations on this concept use multiple backbones to reduce the overall length of the satellite structure.
Possible benefits are, for example, reduced mass, improved efficiency, and improved reliability.
Specific tasks included in the contract were to Review the state of the art of HTS wire and cables, particularly the work that is being done by the Department of Energy and its contractors Compare differences in SSP satellite mass, size, reliability, and efficiency when superconducting and nonsuperconducting cables are used between the solar arrays and wireless power transmitters Consider the benefits of using superconductors to reduce the losses involved in distributing the power over the microwave transmitter surface to the individual transmitters Consider possible applications of HTS for the ground power station Address practicality issues of deployment, maintenance, and vulnerability to space debris and to spacecraft charging due to space plasma. Space solar power Sun Tower conceptual design. In addition, a new concept, termed magnetically inflated cable, has been developed for a lightweight, highly rigid, automatically deployable backbone structure for the Sun Tower.