META-LUNA: Disruptive ISRU for building future solar power satellites

In situ utilisation (ISRU) of space resources is increasingly becoming a central consideration for long-duration space missions. The efficient and sustainable use of these resources must play a prominent role in our discussion of space exploration and development. Regolith represents the most accessible and utilisable resource on the Lunar, Martian and Asteroidal surfaces. Regolith is an abundant and diverse resource, and multiple use cases have been proposed from water or oxygen generation to its use in structural materials. In response to this opportunity, Metasat presents a novel approach to development of power sources needed to employ Regolith by designing and building solar power satellites (SPS) utilizing these resources for construction based on the Multi-domain Operations using Rapidly-responsive PHased Energy Universally Synchronized (MORPHEUS) Solar Power Satellite architecture, a Sandwich Type SPS solution providing an alternative energy source for sustainable energy. The proposed solution leverages advancements in photovoltaic and wireless power transmission technologies, enabling the collection of solar energy in the sunlit regions of space without the constraints of atmospheric interference or nighttime limitations, to deliver clean, abundant, affordable and secure energy. Combined with the use of regolith a sustainable approach to space- based energy harvesting is provided, addressing the needs of in-space manufacturing, with the aim of continually reducing the reliance on Earth-launched resources, decrease launch costs, and minimizing the environmental impact associated with traditional space missions. This paper will update paths forward for the MORPHEUS SPS architecture and introduces leveraging ISRU for building future solar power satellites.