Intermediate Beamers for Starshot: Probes to the Sun’s Inner Gravity Focus

J. Benford et al. (2019), JBIS, 72, pp.51-55

Refcode: 2019.72.51

Abstract:
The Starshot technology development program will build a modular Beamer system that will incrementally achieve steadily higher launch speeds. We examine what an intermediate-level Starshot Beamer system would be like and the relative merits of Beamer technologies in nearer-term missions. We quantify one such intermediate destination for robotic probes, the Sun’s Inner Gravity Focus. A constellation of such probes would each see a “pixel” of the image plane. We describe cost-minimized Beamers driving probes to ~100km/sec using laser, millimetre-wave and microwave sources and antennas/ optics. Such systems would cost of roughly $1 billion at present costs. Substantial progress on driving down laser and/ or millimetre-wave costs is essential to near-term system cost reductions. Power density in the sail varies substantially among the Beamers, with lasers giving the lowest sail temperatures.