A research team at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has conducted the world’s first wireless power transmission experiment in space.
For the first time, detectable electricity has been transmitted back to Earth, as reported by New Atlas on June 5. The Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) aims to harness a nearly limitless source of clean energy in orbit.
MAPLE Module in the experiment transmitting electricity from space to Earth. (Photo: Caltech).
Space solar power has the potential to address many clean energy issues on Earth. An orbital power system can harvest sunlight 24/7, unaffected by the atmosphere or weather conditions. Theoretically, solar panels in space could yield up to eight times more power per square meter than solar panels on Earth.
As a result, several research teams are striving to harness this energy source, despite facing significant challenges. One of the main challenges is the size required for the solar panels. The area needed for commercial solar panels would have to be up to 9 km2. The receiving system on Earth would also need to be similarly large to collect the energy transmitted back to the surface. This necessitates 39 launches, even with the ultra-light smart deployment module solar panels that the Caltech team is developing. Their product consists of a series of modules, each with a volume of about one m3 at launch, but capable of stretching into a massive flat square with each side measuring 50 meters, featuring solar cells on one side and a wireless power generator on the other.
The Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), weighing 50 kg, was placed on the Momentus Vigoride spacecraft and launched into low Earth orbit by a SpaceX rocket on January 3 of this year. SSPD-1 is designed to test three small modules.
- DOLCE Module tests the design and deployment mechanism of the ultra-light folding structure.
- ALBA Module tests a variety of solar panel designs to determine which is most efficient in space.
- MAPLE Module (Microwave Power Transmission Experiment in Low Earth Orbit) helps test wireless power transmission technology back to Earth, aiming for a ground-based receiving station without any moving parts in the generator.
One aspect of MAPLE tests short-range power transmission, where the generator transmits power to two different receivers located 30 cm apart, to evaluate the beam control technology of the research team. As a result, they were able to light small LED bulbs at each receiver as desired.
MAPLE also underwent a brief period where the generator transmitted a beam of energy directly to Earth, aimed at a receiver on the roof of an engineering laboratory at Caltech in Pasadena. This experiment was successful. The energy beam was detected by the ground station at the expected time and frequency. This demonstrates the team’s ability to target energy beams accurately at long distances and confirms that the related equipment operates well after its journey to orbit.
