Thank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
Solar power satellites (SPS) will be the largest human-made structures ever put into orbit, so it is important to consider how they should be disposed of. The scale of the satellites means that they will be assembled in orbit, most likely using robots. It is therefore likely that the reverse process could be used to reduce the satellites to their constituent modules. There may be the potential for these modules to be repurposed or their constituent materials reused for new applications.
Based on their idea submitted through the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), Frazer Nash Consultancy will investigate the degradation mechanisms that will lead to an SPS reaching the end of its useful life and determine the likely state of the constituent modules. Using this information, the researchers will consider how the modules or materials could be recycled.