By
Theresa Hitchens on April 29, 2021 at 2:07 PM
Space-based solar power beaming, AFRL graphic
WASHINGTON: The Air Force Research Laboratory’s experimental solar power satellite Arachne will go through critical design review this summer, says AFRL Director Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle, with an expected launch date in 2024.
The first payload experiment under the lab’s multi-faceted project to develop satellites to harvest the Sun’s rays for electrical power will fly on the ISS in 2023, she told reporters yesterday. The experiment, called SPIRRAL, for the Space Power Infrared Regulation and Analysis of Lifetime, will demonstrate “thermal management” i.e. heat regulation technology for solar power satellites.