INDIA, U.S. GO FOR SPACE SOLAR

India, America join hands to harness solar power
Srinivas Laxman, November 8, 2010 (Times of India)

"…India and USA teamed up on a space-based energy initiative aimed at turning both countries into net energy exporters, 48 hours before US President Barack in India."

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"The project is led by former president of India A P J Abdul Kalam, who was once a staunch critic of the US, and National Space Society (NSS), a non-profit US-based space organization with chapters all over the world including India…Known as the Kalam-National Space Society initiative, the mission envisages harvesting solar power in space for use on earth.

"…[ Isro Satellite Centre director T K Alex] is the project's principal investigator from India. Kalam told the US media that a team from Isro has been formed to carry out a feasibility study for this project. He said Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan asked him to take the idea forward…"

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"…Kalam said…it was a 15-year-project. The main challenge is to evolve methods to transmit solar power from space to earth and its distribution. To make it economical, the cost of launching a spacecraft, currently $20,000 a kg, has to be slashed to $2,000 a kg."