Abdul Kalam calls for space solar power research

abdul-kalamChennai, May 25 : Former president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam has called for drawing up a workable research document for marketing space solar power to space-faring nations in six months.

"Within the next six months, we need to bring out a workable research document for marketing space solar power to space-faring nations," Kalam said Friday at the 32nd International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in his acceptance speech on receiving the Wernher Von Braun Memorial Award in San Diego, USA.

The event was organised by National Space Society, the US. A copy of his speech was mailed to IANS here by Kalam's advisor.

Speaking on the topic 'Space Solar Power: Key to Livable Planet Earth', Kalam listed five action points for the major space-faring nations in the world.

As a first step towards harnessing space solar power, Kalam said a World Space Knowledge Platform with virtual laboratory for space industrialisaton should be created by the US and India with other space faring-nations.

Kalam said the partners for the space virtual laboratory should be identified. The number of partners should be a minimum of 10 nations with clearly defined missions to draw up a detailed feasibility report on the international space solar power mission.

According to him, in three years the virtual laboratory should come out with a solution to transmit space solar power to its terrestrial earth stations.

He said the challenge was marketing space solar power to G8 or G20 nations. (IANS)