# A Lunar-Orbiting Satellite Constellation for Wireless Energy Supply
###### Abstract
During this night, the areas in shadow experience a complete lack of sunlight. Sunlight is a crucial source of energy for solar power systems, so the absence of sunlight poses a significant challenge. To address this issue, energy systems on the Moon must incorporate energy storage capabilities to store excess energy generated during the lunar day for use during the lunar night. Various energy storage technologies can be employed, such as batteries, fuel cells, or even thermal storage systems. These storage systems help bridge the gap between energy generation and consumption, ensuring a continuous power supply during the lunar night. Efficient energy management and conservation practices are also crucial due to the limited availability of energy resources on the Moon. Since energy cannot be continuously generated during the lunar night, it becomes essential to optimize energy usage and minimize wastage. This requires the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and practices, as well as careful planning and scheduling of energy-intensive activities. In the areas closest to the poles, the first infrastructure for human settlements will be built due to the Moon's slight inclination relative to its axis of rotation and its orbit relative to the ecliptic plane. Furthermore, the Sun is almost constantly above the horizon but doesn't rise more than a few degrees above it in a way that its rays are always almost parallel to the surface. This phenomenon, combined with the morphology of the lunar terrain, allows for areas to be very easily shadowed from the Sun causing further variability in the alternation of light and shadow areas near the poles. These problems led to the choice of the area near Shackleton Crater [6] as the first exploration area, because its morphology means it is almost constantly in the sunlight with nights no longer than 3-5 days [7; 8]. The Shackleton Crater, located near the Moon's south pole, has been a topic of interest for lunar exploration and potential habitation. The selection of this area as a potential exploration site is based on several factors such as water ice deposits, and continuous illumination as aforementioned. Another factor is its scientific value because the permanently shadowed regions within the crater have preserved ancient impact materials and potentially volatile substances in pristine conditions. The last factor is mission safety. Indeed the proximity to the lunar pole enables improved line-of-sight communication with Earth-based mission control and potential communication relays with other lunar outposts. This paper first includes an analysis of the current solutions proposed by major companies, space agencies and research centers; it then focuses on demonstrating the potential of the new system, considering the choice of the best laser, possible orbits, and a basic sizing of the batteries on the satellite and the receiver on the ground. Finally, a power budget for each scenario is calculated, considering a polar, a frozen and an equatorial orbit with different numbers of satellites and maximum angles of the cone of transmission.