The concept of collecting solar power in space and transmitting it to the Earth using microwaves has been studied by numerous researchers in the past. The Space Solar Power Initiative (SSPI) at Caltech is a collaborative project to bring about the scientific and technological innovations necessary for enabling a space-based solar power system. The proposed system comprises an array of ultra-light, membrane-like deployable modules with high efficiency photovoltaic (PV) concentrators and microwave transmission anten…