Geostationary orbit: 35,786km
Beam dispersal: 111 microns/m, or 0.0001%
Beam spread: 0.017 degrees
(Compare to typical laser beam: 1000microns/m, or 0.001%)
So the beam is an order of magnitude better-confined than a typical laser beam. We'll allow that for now, and given the divergence rate we can calculate the source power:
Power at ground: 220,000,000W
Beam area at ground: 12,566,370 m^2
Satellite size: 6m (typical)
Beam area at source: 28 m^2
Power at source: 98 Terawatts (assuming no loss)
Clearly unrealistic.
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Geostationary orbit: 35,786km Beam dispersal: 111 microns/m, or 0.0001% Beam spread: 0.017 degrees (Compare to typical laser beam: 1000microns/m, or 0.001%) So the beam is an order of magnitude better-confined than a typical laser beam. We'll allow that for now, and given the divergence rate we can calculate the source power: Power at ground: 220,000,000W Beam area at ground: 12,566,370 m^2 Satellite size: 6m (typical) Beam area at source: 28 m^2 Power at source: 98 Terawatts (assuming no loss) Clearly unrealistic.