Bennett Optical Research has been developing technologies to increase the peak power available to space-basedcommunications infrastructure. Known as SELENE, their concept involves beaming coherent light energy from an optical ground station to a lightweight, foldable, auxiliary panel ("UltraFlex" panel) attached to the satellite. A 3-meter diameter version of this panel is shown in the figure above. By transmitting a sufficiently large diameter beam from the ground, the intensity of the laser light is no greater than that of the sun, and is not dangerous to birds or humans. The new energy would be received by the auxiliary panel, and would allow a 10-fold increase in the power transmitted from satellite-borne transponders to be produced on demand. The existing solar cells would not need to be modified. This UltraFlex panel, developed by AEC Able of Goleta, California, has already been tested for NASA missions to Mars.
