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The United States Navy is testing power beaming satellite technology.
Recently, one of [the] groups at America's Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) hit a milestone in the development of power satellite technology by launching their Photovoltaic RF Antenna Module (PRAM) test satellite.
The idea underlying power satellites is called "power beaming". Power beaming systems use one of three different frequencies of light to transmit significant amounts of power over a distance wirelessly. Last year NRL had a successful demonstration of a land-based power beaming system using an infrared laser.
Doing it from space presents a whole new set of challenges though, and not necessarily just technical ones. Dr Paul Jaffe, the technical lead on the PRAM project, described the process of being selected for an orbital launch as equivalent to Shark Tank – numerous PIs pitching their ideas for a trip to orbit. After several years of trying, PRAM finally got it's time to shine on an X-37B launch on May 17th.
PRAM won't actually shine though – it's surface is covered in black solar panels, and its innards consist of the first hardware ever launched to orbit that converts solar energy into microwaves.
Although it won't actually beam power back to Earth, the 30cm PRAM satellite will test and gather metrics to compare with Earth based systems, including
- Efficiency of conversion of solar energy to microwaves
- Thermal management using the radiative cooling system
- Power Density
- Base station design
- Optimal Illumination orbit
Addressing fears around use of the platform as a weapon, Dr. Jaffe notes "If you put a magnifying glass in front of your WiFI router, it doesn't start melting anything."
Related:
China Plans Space-Based Solar Power Stations
(Score: 3, Funny) by looorg on Sunday June 21 2020, @05:24PM (1 child)
Now they call it power beaming, once completed it will be a death-ray. Remember Alderaan!
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday June 21 2020, @06:01PM
Weird Science [youtube.com]!
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday June 21 2020, @05:59PM
So, mirrors?
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @06:02PM (2 children)
>> "If you put a magnifying glass in front of your WiFI router, it doesn't start melting anything."
True... except you don't need to melt something to kill it. Microwaves are the exact wavelength used by 5G, so the plan could be to kill large numbers of people by increasing their susceptibility to COVID-19 infection.
I wonder whether the Navy plans on using its death ray on jihadis or will it be tested first on domestic #BLM protesters?
(Score: 2) by EETech1 on Monday June 22 2020, @08:31AM (1 child)
Actually... Microwaves use 2.4 G...
That's why that range of spectrum is unlicensed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2020, @01:21PM
Yup, microwaves (the ovens) flood that spectrum to the point that they figured it didn't make sense to use, to they left it unlicensed. Now, most electronics communicate (at least partially) in that spectrum specifically because it is unlicensed (and indirectly, because it is a terrible spectrum for communication).
Irony.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @06:04PM (1 child)
"If you put a magnifying glass in front of your WiFI router, it doesn't start melting anything."
I also don't use router for power transfer.
(Score: 2) by Kalas on Sunday June 21 2020, @08:27PM
That's exactly what I was thinking. It's a bad analogy because of the orders of magnitude of energy difference. A wifi signal is only used to convey information over a short distance. Transmitting enough energy from orbit and through the atmosphere to do real useful work on whatever scale is a different beast entirely.
That said, rather than any potential use as an orbit to surface weapon I'd be more concerned about what it might do to other satellites. Satellites tend to carry sensitive electronics and I can totally see something like this frying one that happens to fly between the transmitter and its terrestrial target, not to mention the possibility of it being deliberately aimed at other satellites. It'd be a damn shame if a working one of these Navy beaming satellites "accidentally" ended up pointed at a Chinese surveillance satellite.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Sunday June 21 2020, @06:05PM
Use a gigantic parabolic dish.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2, Funny) by Zinnia Zirconium on Sunday June 21 2020, @06:49PM (1 child)
Ooooo. Can I use a power beam to charge my phone?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2020, @07:37AM
SpaceX Gen2 Starlink sats will include power beaming to receivers on new unlimited range Teslas. The side bonus is the anti-riot microwave orbital Tesla defense system, a must for urban drivers...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @06:52PM (1 child)
agree with frist post: now they call it "powerbeaming".
it's like putting a horse into a big hamsterwheel that's mounted on a train and connects to the wheel.
that's "beaming" solar power from outerspace to earth ...
soon, ofc there will be a small chemical powerplant that converts horse manure and coal (and sulfur) into a cannon that flings compressed coal at ...uhmmm... undesirables on the same train.
"oops, sorry for melting down your army base/ship/barracks. we thought you already installed the beam collector station."
"what? you can't understand me? speak english man!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @07:30PM
It worked in SimCity 2000.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Hartree on Sunday June 21 2020, @07:00PM (2 children)
"and its innards consist of the first hardware ever launched to orbit that converts solar energy into microwaves."
I think that would have been the solar powered transmitters for either Vanguard 1 or Explorer 6 in 1959, depending on what you'll accept for "microwaves". (Even if you demand a gigahertz for that, it was certainly done by the end of 1960.)
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday June 21 2020, @10:18PM (1 child)
No surprise that the company rep talks out both sides of his press orifice. This might be the first thing put in space for the purpose of converting solar energy to microwaves for a power (instead of communication) application, then in the next breath he's saying it's harmless: like a communication device.
Even politically polarized bleach drinkers can make the connection between "microwave oven" and focused microwave energy can make things hot, really hot, like fry your eyeballs hot.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2020, @03:14PM
I agree, technology is pretty scary. Best leave these things to Elon Musk.
(Score: 2) by Kitsune008 on Monday June 22 2020, @02:44AM
I guess it would depend on how much sunlight may being focused through your magnifying glass onto your router, doesn't it?
Maybe you want to be more careful with magnifying glasses and EM radiation in the future, as many ghost ants from countless anthills can agree. ;-)
Beware the 'narrow focus' mindset, it will bite you in the ass every time.