Light at the End of the Universe

08
March 2019

Light at the End of the Universe

On the pages of the Science and Technology Daily, the Vice-President of the National Academy of Space Technologies of China, Zhao Xiaojin revealed details of the development of the world's first space power station. It turns out that three years ago engineers and scientists from the Celestial Empire designed an installation for collecting solar energy in near-earth orbit on an industrial scale. In constant mode (regardless of the time of day and weather conditions), the unit weighing thousands of tons will provide electricity to the planet several times more efficiently than any solar farm operating on Earth.

The implementation of the project, which has already received sufficient funding, is divided into several stages. Currently, a prototype of the space installation is being assembled. Practical testing of individual units in the stratosphere will begin after necessary laboratory tests. A period of testing the systems of transmission of energy flow to the ground collector from a height of 36,000 km will be followed by the installation work in the orbit, in which robots and 3D printing technology will be used extensively. At the final stage about ten years later, the megawatt class power plant will be launched, and by 2050 its capacity will be extended to several gigawatts. Zhao Xiaojin said China will be the first country in the world to create a space solar power plant with real practical value both for the planet’s economy and space exploration.

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