Laser power beaming infrastructure for space power and propulsion

Laser power beaming permits radical improvements in spacecraft performance, and may be superior to nuclear power for some missions, including a lunar base. Recent developments in laser and large-optics technology make a laser power beaming infrastructure for space both more practical and easier to develop. In particular, Diode Pumped Alkali Laser (DPAL) technology appears ideally suited to power beaming at the 0.1 - 1 MW level. This paper discusses a possible architecture for such a power beaming infrastructure using ground-based lasers and geosynchronous relays.