Wireless Power Transmission Experiment as an Early Contribution to Planetary Exploration Missions

Beaming energy to spacecraft could provide an important space missions economic potential. It promises significant reduction in the cost of access to space, for scientific and commercial missions, and increases the mission capabilities for in-space systems. The Power (WPT) technology has been treated to a wide extent in the recent years. A broad variety of applications has been investigated, from earth to orbit, orbit to earth, in-orbit and planetary ones, as for moon and Mars missions. In this course the question to use laser or microwave technology has widely been discussed. In the last years the topic WPT has gained new actuality For the future enhancement of ISS capabilities and operational efficiency, the use of WPT technology became part of the technology research planning for the ISS. The WPT may have the potential of providing operational benefits, increase of spacecraft systems efficiency for elements like co-orbiting platforms, transfer vehicles or other ISS related in-orbit spacecrafts, and last but not least planetary exploration vehicles. The laser and microwave technologies provide both specific technical benefits and are the actual basis for wireless power transmission concepts. In the course of this paper the experimental application of a laser system for power transmission to a moveable and steerable target, a small rover, is addressed and the demonstration philosophy and experimental set-up are detailed. The ground test objectives, the definition, design and performance of a Wireless Power Transmission system and the demonstration of the basic principles of power transmission and target acquisition, pointing and tracking are covered. The main technical aspects feature the wireless power transmission by a laser, using a green, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG-Laser at a low power level for the demonstration (up to a few watts) and encompass the initiation and supply of the rover including a micro-camera as payload as well as the pointing and tracking of the moveable target over a distance of 30 - 200 m by applying active control loops.