Companies participating in the project under Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer includes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Sharp Corporation, NEC Corporation, and Fujitsu.
The solar cells dishes will capture the sun’s energy, which is at least five times stronger in space than on Earth, and beam it down to the ground using clusters of lasers or microwaves. As per JAXA, the beams would be collected by parabolic antennae located in restricted areas at sea, or on dam reservoirs.
The project is expected to produce electricity at JPY8 ($0.09) per kWh.
The first step would see, within several years, “a satellite designed to test the transmission by microwave… put into low orbit with a Japanese rocket”, JAXA Researcher Tatsuhito Fujita said.
JAXA has said that the technology will be safe, although there is a need to dispel fears among the general public of laser beams roasting birds or slicing aircraft in mid-air.
