SBSP Glossary

A governed glossary of space-based solar power, orbital energy infrastructure, wireless power transmission, rectennas, and related strategic terms.

• Space-Based Solar Power — Collecting solar energy in Earth orbit and transmitting it wirelessly to ground receivers for conversion to grid electricity.
• Solar Power Satellite — A spacecraft in Earth orbit designed to collect solar energy and transmit it wirelessly to a ground receiver.
• Wireless Power Transmission — The transfer of electrical energy without physical conductors, using microwave or laser radiation as the transmission medium.
• Microwave Power Beaming — Using microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation to transmit energy wirelessly from an orbital source to a terrestrial rectenna array.
• Laser Power Transmission — Using concentrated laser light to transmit energy wirelessly from an orbital source to a photovoltaic receiver.
• Rectenna — A rectifying antenna array that converts received microwave energy into direct current electricity at the SBSP ground receiving station.
• Geostationary Orbit — Earth orbit at 35,786 km altitude where satellites remain stationary above a fixed equatorial point, receiving near-continuous sunlight.
• Launch Economics — The cost structure of delivering mass to orbit, the primary economic constraint determining whether SBSP can compete with terrestrial energy sources.
• Energy Sovereignty — A nation's capacity to control its own energy supply independently of external vulnerabilities, a core strategic argument for long-horizon SBSP development.
• Technology Readiness Level — A NASA-originated scale from 1 to 9 measuring technology maturity, used to contextualize SBSP component and system readiness.