Analysis of Near-field Wireless Power Transmission for Fractionated Spacecraft Applications

The modular design of a fractionated spacecraft is intended to avoid drawbacks inherent to monolithic designs such as subsystem failure, expensive designs, underestimated costs, expensive launches and over-complex systems. Since the power systems represent one of the main mass and volume drivers of spacecraft, one of the key technologies required for truly fractionated architectures is the ability to distribute power wirelessly between spacecraft depending on the respective power needs over time. Investigations on the subsystem aspects of radiative wireless power transmission have been published, including the use of both, laser and microwave frequencies. Near-field wireless power transmission has so far been quickly discarded, mainly due to its apparent limited range. The present paper intends to contribute to this discussion by investigating a method of increasing the range near-field power transmission, which might be sufficient for its use within fractionated spacecraft applications.