Who should be responsible for developing space-based solar power?
The U.S. Government must take a lead role in creating an environment that will enable the development of space-based solar power. Congress must organize a public – private effort because existing agencies, such as the U.S. House Committee on Science & Technology, the Department of Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, the Pentagon’s National Security Space Office and NASA, are not set up for the large scale manufacturing that will be required. The U.S. private sector will be key in the development of space-based solar power, and there is much precedent for Congress to foster just that kind of private sector development. The 1984 Commerical Space Launch Act was signed by President Reagan and the 1990 Launch Services Purchase Act was signed by President Bush. These Acts resulted in the private partnership, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), which places most U.S. payloads in orbit today. Arianespace, another private company, is similarly responsible for most European pay
