New Technology and Lunar Power Option for Power Beaming Propulsion

Orbit raising missions (LEO to GEO or beyond) are the only missions with enough current traffic to be seriously considered for near-term power beaming propulsion. Even these missions cannot justify the development expenditures required to deploy the required new laser, optical and propulsion technologies or the programmatic risks. To be deployed, the laser and optics technologies must be spin-offs of other funded programs. The manned lunar base nighttime power requirements may justify a major power beaming program with 2MW lasers and large optical systems. New laser and optical technologies may now make this mission plausible. If deployed these systems could be diverted for power beaming propulsion applications. Propulsion options include a thermal system with an Isp near 1000 sec., a new optical coupled thermal system with an Isp over 2000 sec. photovoltaic-ion propulsion systems with an Isp near 3000 sec., and a possible new optical coupled thermal system with an Isp over 2000 sec.