NSSO Report on Space-Based Solar Power

In 2007, the Department of Defense’s National Security Space Office (NSSO) sponsored a major study of the technical, political, and economic feasibility of the space-based solar power (SBSP) concept. The objective was to answer the question, “Can the United States and partners enable the development and deployment of a space-based solar power system within the first half of the 21st Century such that if constructed it could provide affordable, clean, safe, reliable, sustainable, & expandable energy for its consumers?”

The NSSO study found that SBSP does present a strategic opportunity that could significantly advance U.S. and partner security, capability, and freedom of action, and the concept merits significant further attention on the part of the U.S. Government and the private sector. While significant technical challenges remain, SBSP is more technically executable than ever before, and current technological vectors promise to further improve its viability. A government-led proof-of-concept demonstration could serve to catalyze commercial sector development.