Space Policy? Energy Policy? Security Policy?

An apparent stumbling block for space-based solar power inside Washington (and probably elsewhere) is that it is always someone else’s job. It spans far beyond any single organization’s charter, so it becomes the dropped ball, getting only an occasional glance from the players:

• Energy is the Department of Energy’s job (hence the name), but they don’t do space
• NASA does space, but they’re doing Moon, Mars, and beyond, not energy
• The Department of Defense also does space, but it is not in the energy business

As the political parties hammer out their platforms for the 2008 presidential election, where should they address the development of space-based solar power? How should the new administration proceed? Who should be the lead department or agency?

Coyote

The Genesis Briefing

Lt Col Mike “Green Hornet” Hornitschek found himself at Air War College with a paper to write. He did it on DoD energy transformation (see “War Without Oil: A Catalyst for True Transformation” in the Air Force Journal of Logistics). It included some discussion of space solar power. Then he came to the Pentagon where he met some fellow enthusiasts of space solar power (Lips & Dr Evil) who helped him prepare a PowerPoint briefing on the subject. They formed the Space Solar Power Cabal (read about them in “About the Study” above). The briefing was presented widely around Washington and inside the Pentagon.

See for yourself the briefing they built that led to the creation of this study:

Space-Based Solar Power: An Opportunity for Strategic Security

Comments?

Coyote