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A constellation of autonomous mirrors made of spinning metalised film. Can be made cheaply (cheaper than solar panels on Earth surface) and used to beam energy

A constellation of autonomous mirrors made of spinning metalised film. Can be made cheaply (cheaper than solar panels on Earth surface) and used to beam energy from space or as a weapon to burn enemy installations and troops.

nine_k 3y ago
Getting it to the orbit is hard, and destroying / disorienting it there is easier (requires a smaller rocket). The whole thing is not very maneuverable, and cannot effectively defend itself either. Unlike a comm or spy satellite, it has no use except during an active "hot" conflict, so its useful life against any modern military would be pretty limited. Could be used against forces that lack an ability to reach orbit: against guerilla groups maybe, or to burn opium and coca plantations.
- fnordpiglet 3y ago
  The question, long term, will be can this be built in-situ with regolith materials on the moon and moved to stationary earth orbit. The deltaV of that is considerably less and would allow for extreme scales.
- onetimeuse92304 3y ago
  How is getting it to orbit hard? SpaceX is already sending satellites in bulk and those are large and complex communication satellites. And soon they will at least 10x if not 100x their capacity to send things. Even just a cursory estimation shows it is going to be much cheaper to send things to space (even high orbit) than buy land on Earth. And as a weapon it is essentially free. Because when you don't use it as a weapon you just beam that power to your power station. You just divert it temporarily when you need to make your enemy to a crisp. It more than pays for itself.
forgotusername6 3y ago
Reminds me of this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Znamya_%28satellite%29?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Znamya_%28satellite%29?wprov=s... I was so disappointed when it didn't launch. Iirc they said on the news that it would be visible from the UK had it been successful. Part of me always wondered whether the goal was a golden eye style beam rather than merely illuminating Siberia.

nine_k 3y ago

Getting it to the orbit is hard, and destroying / disorienting it there is easier (requires a smaller rocket). The whole thing is not very maneuverable, and cannot effectively defend itself either. Unlike a comm or spy satellite, it has no use except during an active "hot" conflict, so its useful life against any modern military would be pretty limited. Could be used against forces that lack an ability to reach orbit: against guerilla groups maybe, or to burn opium and coca plantations.

fnordpiglet 3y ago
The question, long term, will be can this be built in-situ with regolith materials on the moon and moved to stationary earth orbit. The deltaV of that is considerably less and would allow for extreme scales.
onetimeuse92304 3y ago
How is getting it to orbit hard? SpaceX is already sending satellites in bulk and those are large and complex communication satellites. And soon they will at least 10x if not 100x their capacity to send things. Even just a cursory estimation shows it is going to be much cheaper to send things to space (even high orbit) than buy land on Earth. And as a weapon it is essentially free. Because when you don't use it as a weapon you just beam that power to your power station. You just divert it temporarily when you need to make your enemy to a crisp. It more than pays for itself.

forgotusername6 3y ago

Reminds me of this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Znamya_%28satellite%29?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Znamya_%28satellite%29?wprov=s... I was so disappointed when it didn't launch. Iirc they said on the news that it would be visible from the UK had it been successful. Part of me always wondered whether the goal was a golden eye style beam rather than merely illuminating Siberia.