3 ms·
The practicality rests on two open questions, I guess: 1. How much power could a satellite generate, realistically? 2. How many targets could it serve simultan
by choeger 6y ago
The practicality rests on two open questions, I guess:
1. How much power could a satellite generate, realistically?
2. How many targets could it serve simultaneously?
I imagine there is a huge difference between being able to support a single, ultra lightweight drone and, say, hundreds of reapers.
- m4rtink 6y ago1) Sun output minus conversion loses. Also you likely want nore than one, eq. a Dyson Swarm.
- 4gotunameagain 6y ago"Sun output" at reasonable Earth orbits for this application is maximum ~1368 W/m2, and that only when the the panels are perpendicular to the direction of the rays. What is considered a "reasonable" orbit depends on our ability to collimate the microwave beam's rays, which is not an easy task
- pjc50 6y agoThose questions are determined by how many solar panels and transmitters you have on the satellite? For comparison, the ISS generates 240kW when in sunlight. So for the 7MW mentioned upthread to power an airliner (or half a Eurostar train), you need something 28 times larger than the ISS.