Space solar power satellite for the Moon and Mars mission

This paper presents an overview of space solar power satellites for the Moon and Mars mission and simultaneously demonstrates the compression of traditional power generation methods for the orbiter, lander, and habitat on Mars and the Moon. Interplanetary missions are where the space engineers work on the satellites, conceptual design of space habitat, and exploration system. The state of the art in those missions relies on radioisotope thermoelectric generators or solar panels attached with batteries to store power, both of which are plagued by limitations. For instance, when a spacecraft moves away from the Sun, the energy collection efficiency on the solar panel is reduced, and at temperatures below -100°Celsius, individual solar cells degrade unpredictably, deteriorating the performance of solar arrays. Furthermore, these power generation unit satellites carry a pack of batteries to store energy whose total system accounts for more than 10-25 % of the mass of the satellites. In an interplanetary mission, power generation and management are essential for research and investigation on the surface. For Mars, sandstorms affect the collection of energy at the attached solar panel to the rover. Moreover, the rovers must investigate at the far side of the Moon, where sunlight is unavailable for few consecutive days. This challenge can be suitably overcome by employing space solar power satellites, which can be used for wireless power transmission, independent of its location. Such techniques have possible applications towards power transmission for unmanned aerial vehicles for faster mapping purposes. As such, the dependence of those aerial vehicles towards fixed energy storage becomes alleviated. In hindsight, space solar power satellite serves as a potential for an improved energy transmission source than the traditional method for interplanetary rovers and habitat.