/sci/ - Science & Math

>>14740081
Right, the power supply if put into space is far too valuable just to be used to send small cargo spacecraft to Mars in 45 days with a mere hour long burn and that wouldn't be particually useful unless scaled to the level where it could perform a manned transit, which would likely be a premium service for rich tourists rather than addressing key health concerns like exposure to radiation or the zero g environment.
>The new ROSAs on the ISS have a watt/kg rating of 14.5
IIRC the actual power output of iROSA is a fair amount higher than the nominal figure for some reason, there's a bunch of extra mass in the support structure needed for Dragon and other gear for the retrofit. A better example of a space proven array would be Orbital ATK's UltraFlex which has been >150 W/kg for many years. Redwire states that >400 to 500 W/kg could be achieved with their technology and >1000 W/kg is considered achievable in the proposals for power sails. Assuming Starship can launch 100 tonnes and the array is 500 W/kg, each launch would equal 50 MW if I'm not mistaken, ignoring volume which could be the limiting factor.

https://redwirespace.com/newsroom/dsss-fact-mega-rosa-and-solarosa-technologies-highlighted-in-nasas-tech-briefs/

Reminder that PROCSIMA beaming isn't necessary, laser electric propulsion is still OP. 1/2