Feed a lunar baseJaxa mission does not stop there

It is without doubt one of the wildest technological projects. The Japanese space agency, Jaxa, dream of install space solar power at a horizon of 30 years. Not less than 16 Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and IHI, are already associated with research for this project estimated at 2,000 billion yen (15 billion euros). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the space is an extremely important sector, because the factory already Launcher H2 - A and H2 - B group, but also the Government satellite put in orbit. On this specific solar plant project, MHI will for example devote four years of research to the dispatch of electricity by microwave.

A prohibitive cost

In its ultimate form, the solar station will be positioned in geostationary orbit at 36,000 kilometers of the Earth, and will produce up to 1 gigaWatt of electricity from 4 km of solar panels. To achieve this, Jaxa should proceed in stages and first develop a demonstrator orbital of environ1 kiloWatt of here in 2017 and beyond 2020, another demonstrator of 2 megawatts equipped with equivalent to one hectare solar panels. The main interest of such a facility is to produce energy continuously while claim weather constraints. If it will have very little of CO 2, the system will also ignore the geo-strategic issues.

In practice, the challenge appears otherwise difficult to meet, for two main reasons. His first award. Knowing that each tonne sent in space generates a cost estimated at EUR 10 million, the cost of this type of installation becomes quickly prohibitive, the mass in orbit should be between 10,000 and 20,000 tonnes. Technology is another major obstacle, because nobody today control the sending of energy from space. Japan, laboratory tests show that it is possible to move from a few centimetres a miniature electric car from a source located about 10 metres. This is not everything. Once the controlled sending of energy, other difficulties should be resolved, such as the direction and the accuracy of the beam. Finally, no one knows today what disruption the ionosphere, the region ionized the atmosphere between 60 and 800 kilometres in altitude, can lead to signal.

Disproportionate, this solar power station is also a vector image for Jaxa allowing him to show the ambitions of the Japan in the space field. Tired of be regarded as "follower of the other nations in the conquest of space, the Japan decided to be more active at the same time bringing new technologies", says Mathieu Grialou-Osawa, representative of CNES in the Japan.

Published last June, the spatial plan of the Japan fixed priorities. In addition to the visit of a Japanese astronaut on the international space station, the Japan funds to 12, the plan focuses on observation of the Earth and climate. It also provides for the sending of a satellite, "ibuki" to observe the effect of greenhouse gases. He fixed another mission, already underway, to send a cargo of space for the international space station with the H2 - B Launcher. The first launch, last month, took place without any problems. The retirement of the shuttle being scheduled for 2010, the Japan will, with other nations, send a cargo per year for the ISS, knowing that only the Russia can now send men.

Feed a lunar base

Jaxa mission does not stop there. If it continues to follow the evolution of the solar system, the ultimate goal of the Japan continues the exploration of the moon. And, space power research program can be helpful for example allowing exploration vehicle refueling, or even in the long term, the supply of a lunar base.

Still a pitfall of size, of the funding for this project while the Government is unable to complete its budget for 2010. Even if it is to entirely preliminary research, solar space station must first pass the first hurdle with the risk that she will be sacrificed on the altar of budgetary rigour. It will be until better days.