It's hard to run an extension cord to a forward-operating base. They require a lot of energy but are frequently located in areas without access to that power. The U.S. Army can't build a field of solar arrays each time it sets up base, and fossil fuels can be difficult to ship. What the service needs is an energy source it can tap from anywhere on Earth with limited infrastructure, and the Air Force Research Laboratory believes it might have the solution. The lab is eyeing a constellation of satellite-mounted solar arrays that can collect energy on orbit, transform it into a radio frequency and then beam it down to Earth. Terrestrial forces would be able to tap that energy source from anywhere on the planet with mobile equipment, enabling them to power an entire forward-operating base or charge a radio. AFRL is working toward a technology demonstration for as early as 2024. The initiative is called the Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations and Research, or SSPIDR. The anticipated first demonstration, dubbed Arachne, will see the lab put on orbit a specially designed "sandwich panel" that collects solar energy and converts it to a radio frequency.
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