ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION OF POWER-SUPPLY FOR NEW SPACECRAFT GENERATION

The power supply for new generation of the long life spacecraft is one of the complicated problem staying in front of designers within pract ically all the space vehicle life phases. Up to day the most widesprea d solution consists of the own on board power supply system for each s pacecraft including main (usually solar arrays or radioisotope thermal electric units) and redundant ( usually chemical accumulating batteri es) power sources. The technical and cost efficiency aspects of an adv anced scheme of spacecraft power supply by the directional power beams from board of several Space Power Plants is analyzed. Practically all possible spacecraft types are included into the study: systems of com munication satellites in the LEO and GEO, navigation and remote sensin g satellites operated in the orbits with altitudes to 25000 km, survei llance and technology space platforms into LEG, as well as orbital man euvering vehicle equipped with electrical propulsion to transport payl oads from LEO into operational orbit. The preliminary evaluation of Po werSat's and servicing spacecraft systems orbital configuration is pre sented. Side by side with some characteristics of the power generation units (on base of solar arrays, solar thermal dynamics facilities, nu clear power plants)the brief discussion of electric thrusters and powe r transmission system is provided. The perspectives and ways of the fu rther studies for all of main PowerSat's subsystems are nominated.