Each year, America consumes energy totaling 17 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Seventy percent comes from oil and natural gas that will peak within decades as domestic fracked production declines. Once that happens, as it did with conventional oil in 1970, triggering decades of foreign wars, America will again depend on imported energy. Unless substantial replacement sustainable energy supplies come online before then.

By century's end, using only sustainable energy, America will need over 44 trillion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, equivalent to 2,500 Hoover Dams running constantly. Wind power cannot deliver at that scale even if America became a coast-to-coast wind farm. Ground solar would require covering entire states with panels. Nuclear would mean breeding over 5,000 tonnes of weapons-capable plutonium or U-233 each year. The only practicable solution exists 22,300 miles above Earth in geostationary orbit, where solar panels deliver power 96% of the year instead of 25% on the ground. To remain energy secure this century as America inevitably transitions to sustainable energy, space solar power represents America's best option. Developing SSP to maintain permanent energy security is America's national imperative.

Mike Snead, President and Founder of the Spacefaring Institute LLC and a registered Professional Engineer, spent 37 years as a civilian aerospace engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the military center that has managed every Air Force aircraft acquisition since World War I. He worked on the National Aerospace Plane program, helped Jess Sponable develop the DC-X, and designed concepts for integrated astrologistics capabilities. In 1985, he was Project Engineer for a Wright-Patterson pre-acquisition study evaluating a manned military two-stage spaceplane that could have given America, by century's end, the Orion III passenger spaceliner capabilities depicted in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Air Force declined Wright-Patterson's recommendation to build such a system forty years ago.

Now Snead advocates for what he calls the National Astroelectricity Energy Security Transition Policy, a whole-of-the-nation effort to build space solar power infrastructure to keep America permanently energy secure while positioning the nation as the global leader of commercial human spacefaring operations. He has written to the White House, published detailed analyses, and continues pushing a message few want to hear: without developing space solar power, America's future energy security faces serious risk.

You've spent decades in aerospace, from Wright-Patterson to space logistics. How did your journey begin?

"I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, took an early interest in space when I was a kid in the 1950s," Snead begins, settling into the narrative. "Then the space program blossomed just about the time I turned ten. We were starting to put people into space, and the space program was what I wanted to work on."

The path seemed straightforward. University of Cincinnati for aerospace engineering, then Wright-Patterson full-time in 1974, just as the aerospace industry was contracting after Vietnam and Apollo. "I was fortunate to get a job working at Wright-Patterson, first as a co-op student, then continued full-time."

Wright-Patterson shaped everything that followed. "They've managed the acquisition of all of the Air Force's aircraft going back to World War I here in Dayton. From the famed B-17 of World War II to the B-2, they all were managed by Wright-Pat." The base has served as the center of American military aviation development since 1917, managing over $66 billion in annual acquisitions today. Snead first worked in the Flight Systems Engineering Directorate supporting acquisition programs, then attended the Air Force Institute of Technology, which he describes as "the Air Force's version of MIT."

The turning point came in 1984. "I started to work on a project called Transatmospheric Vehicles, which was another name for spaceplanes." Wright-Patterson first developed spaceplanes in the mid-1950s. The suborbital X-15 flew 199 missions between 1959 and 1968, reaching space on eight flights and setting speed records that stood until 2004. The Dyna-Soar program ran from 1957 to 1963, developing alongside the SR-71 and U-2. Boeing received $400 million, roughly $4 billion today, to develop what would have been America's first operational spaceplane before cancellation.

The two-stage Transatmospheric Vehicle study was followed by the National Aerospace Plane program, a $5.5 billion effort initiated under President Reagan to develop a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane. Snead spent three years on it. In the early 1990s, Jess Sponable called. "We knew each other from the National Aerospace Plane program. He called me up one day and said, 'I want you to come help me with my new project.'"

That became the DC-X program, which achieved 12 successful flights between 1993 and 1996, demonstrating vertical takeoff and landing of a reusable rocket decades before SpaceX adopted this approach on the Falcon 9. The DC-X flights demonstrated that "aircraft-like" operations were achievable. Snead said he "greatly appreciated the opportunity" to help Sponable make the project a success.

While providing DC-X support, Snead moved to headquarters staff of what became the Air Force Research Lab, focusing on advanced air and space logistics. "That's where I started to develop concepts for integrated astrologistics capabilities." After retiring in 2007, he was asked to support a Department of Defense study of space solar power, led by John Mankins. That was when the enabling link between astrologistics and space solar power became clear. "You can't develop, deploy, and reliably operate SSP without effective astrologistics, especially at the scale needed for SSP to replace fossil fuels." Snead's experience working with Mankins set him on a course to advocate for both space solar power and the necessary enabling astrologistics.

You sent a message to the White House explaining that America needs space solar power equivalent to 2,500 Hoover Dams to replace fossil fuels. Walk us through your assessment: why does every terrestrial sustainable energy source fail at the scale needed?

"If you look at the amount of energy that the United States uses each year," Snead explained, "we need about 17 billion barrels of oil equivalent of total energy each year. That's used to supply electricity, end-user fuels, and to produce industrial feedstocks. About 80 percent comes from non-sustainable fossil fuels, mostly from oil and natural gas." Snead continued, "America simply cannot remain energy secure while substantially reliant on fossil fuels."

America's replacement clean energy infrastructure will rely almost entirely on new sources of electrical power. However, over 60 percent of the energy America uses is not electricity. This means the replacement clean energy infrastructure must also synthesize the carbon-based fuels and industrial feedstocks now obtained from fossil fuels. "The source for the carbon will be carbon dioxide taken from the atmosphere or captured in the exhaust of industrial plants," Snead explained. "This is proven technology." The captured carbon is then combined with hydrogen liberated from water using electrolysis to produce the carbon fuels and industrial feedstocks needed. In this manner, no net carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere, making the fuels and industrial feedstocks both clean and sustainable. To meet all energy needs, the equivalent of over 44 trillion kilowatt-hours of primary sustainable electrical energy will be needed annually. That equals what would be generated by over 2,500 Hoover Dams running continuously.

Snead's assessment found that scaling up ground solar and wind power would be impracticable. "Ground solar power has a low capacity factor, around 25%, primarily because of the day-night cycle. That means to generate the needed annual electrical energy would require covering an area 50 percent larger than the State of Texas with solar farms." Even with massive battery storage, ground solar cannot meet America's need for highly reliable energy anytime, anywhere.

Wind power's capacity factor is better at maybe 35% but remains intermittent. Its primary problem is scalability. Snead explained that covering America coast-to-coast with 7 million wind turbines, even with massive battery farms, would barely meet half of America's annual energy need. "Americans are simply not ready to cover rural America in a forest of 500-foot tall, spinning wind turbines."

The Energy Department promotes a new generation of nuclear fission power plants. Again, Snead points out that scalability is the issue, presuming safety concerns are addressed. "You'd need about 5,000 large nuclear reactors, each producing 1 gigawatt of power." Each reactor would need around 1 tonne of fissile U-235 annually, requiring about 14 tonnes of natural uranium. The 5,000 reactors would need 70,000 tonnes of natural uranium each year. The United States has only about a three-year supply of known recoverable uranium at that consumption rate. "That means breeding plutonium or U-233, both able to be used to build nuclear weapons, would be needed," Snead explained. "America tried going down that route in the early 1970s but quickly ended breeding as it would open the door to widespread nuclear weapon proliferation. Didn't America just bomb Iran's nuclear program to prevent more proliferation?" At best, new nuclear power plants using natural U-235 will replace existing plants when decommissioned. That means maybe 100 gigawatts of capacity will be rebuilt, far short of the 5,000 needed.

Space solar power overcomes the intermittency of ground solar power. "A solar panel in GEO has a 96% capacity factor compared to 25% on the ground. Except for brief periods at local midnight around the spring and fall equinoxes, the space solar power arrays are in bright sunlight." Snead's assessment found that instead of needing to cover about 15 percent of America with ground solar farms, the receiving antenna farms for the transmitted astroelectricity would need about 3 percent. "Until a true breakthrough in scalable commercial nuclear fusion power comes about, something promised for decades, the space solar power solution is the only practicable option."

The required power beaming technology exists today. NASA demonstrated it at scale in 1975 at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, transmitting 34 kilowatts over 1.5 kilometers with 82% efficiency. "NASA and the Energy Department extensively studied SSP at the end of the 1970s. The physics of power beaming is well understood. Now, a half-century later, the hardware technologies of power beaming have dramatically improved. Moving ahead with developing SSP will put America on a path to permanent energy security."

You're calling for a National Astroelectricity Energy Security Transition Policy to organize a "whole-of-the-nation" effort. What would such a policy actually do, and what do you mean by a whole-of-the-nation effort?

"America lacks a coherent energy security policy," Snead states flatly. "We stumbled from crisis to crisis. It started with the two oil import crises in the '70s. There was no 'Plan B' on how to keep America energy secure. They tried hard to make nuclear fission power the solution but failed. They also started to use wind and ground solar power without any real success." Then the 1991 Gulf War started America's oil wars, followed a decade later, after 9/11, by military engagements throughout the Middle East. "Today, very fortunately, fracking has returned America to being overall energy secure and at peace. Yet that's only temporary for a few decades. What happens when production of fracked oil and natural gas peaks and America slides back into energy insecurity? More hard times and wars for our children and grandchildren? America needs to act now to prevent that from happening."

The policy would accomplish three things. First, it acknowledges reality. "Fossil fuels are non-sustainable, meaning America must acknowledge it needs a permanent energy solution. The scalability issues of wind, ground solar, and nuclear fission power mean these cannot be the solutions. The policy needs to make clear that only space solar power-supplied astroelectricity can be America's needed new primary energy source."

Second, it establishes clear objectives with timelines. "America needs to be ready with new sustainable energy supplies coming online when fracked oil and natural gas production begins to fade. That needs to be an integrated energy solution that will begin an orderly transition to fully replace fossil fuels likely by the end of this century." Snead expects this transition will likely start in the 2040s provided America's oil and natural gas exports remain modest. "Fracking has given America two, perhaps three decades to get ready."

Finally, the policy will assign responsibilities across the Federal Government to plan, prepare for, and undertake America's full transition to sustainable energy. "As massive as the new investment in AI now appears, America's needed investment in this transition will be far larger and will last throughout the rest of this century."

Snead anticipates that space solar power-supplied astroelectricity will provide about 80 percent of the total primary electrical energy needed. "That means America will need to build about 900 Manhattan Island-size space solar power platforms in GEO by the end of this century." This will require an immense new American commercial spacefaring industry, operating throughout the central solar system, to build and operate those 900 SSP platforms. "By mid-century, thousands of Americans will be working in space. Tens of thousands by the end of this century." Yet today, "we are struggling to just reliably and safely fly a couple of astronauts to and from space. A lot must change to get this effort underway."

While the GEO platforms are being built, nearly 900 ground receiving stations will need construction across America. Snead calls these astroelectric plants. Each will cover about 100 square miles, eventually totaling around 100,000 square miles. Ground solar farms will be built on these sites using arrays that collect both sunlight and transmitted power. In total, each astroelectric plant will provide energy for around 350,000 people.

Snead looks at what President Trump has been doing to establish clear federal leadership in America's forthcoming AI transformation as the top-level model for organizing America's transition to permanent energy security. "Essentially, President Trump handed out a roadmap for American businesses to follow to work in a coordinated manner to push America to the forefront of the world's AI revolution. American businesses now need a comparable roadmap to coordinate their efforts in making America's commercial spacefaring transition orderly and, importantly, well underway by the time the new clean energy is needed."

American businesses don't need help developing SSP technologies. "What they need is the ability to operate in outer space effectively with acceptable operational safety." Snead was particularly focused on safety. "Companies wanting to send their workers into space will need and want to show faithful compliance with federal occupational health and safety requirements. They have a legal and moral 'duty to care' obligation as to the health and safety of their employees. This obligation doesn't go away when it's time to send workers into space. Those companies need federal help in making space a safe place to do business."

To jump start the commercial development of SSP, you see the need for partnership with private enterprise to build a federal interplanetary "Astral Highway" infrastructure. What is that and how does this partnership work? Who pays for what?

Historically, the federal government has led the opening of new frontiers by building forts, highways, ports, railroads, and airports. This is now needed to open the Earth-Moon system, often called the "High Frontier," to true commercial human spacefaring commerce. "The Astral Highway will be the astrologistics infrastructure that will enable routine and operationally safe commercial human operations within the Earth-Moon system," Snead explains. "Think of it as the interstate highway system for space." The government needs to build the foundational astrologistical capabilities because of the need to promote American space industrialization to develop SSP. "Companies will build SSP platforms if they can reliably and affordably get there. They won't build the entire astrologistics system from scratch. That's not their job, especially if this commercialization is to be full and open competition where new startup businesses, without the immense financial resources or political influence of SpaceX and Blue Origin, can compete. The Astral Highway is required for a whole-of-the-nation effort."

Building America's Astral Highway will accomplish several objectives. The first step provides passenger transport to and from low Earth orbit. "Fundamental to opening any new frontier has been enabling people to reliably and with acceptable safety travel to and from the frontier." This is a role government has long undertaken. "For example, the Government's funding of the first Transcontinental Railroad is what really opened the West to settlement and commerce. And of course, the Government played a big part in establishing air commerce."

What America now needs is commercial passenger spaceliner services to and from LEO. From his personal experience with the Transatmospheric Vehicle, National Aerospace Plane, and DC-X projects, Snead notes that passenger spaceliners could have been operating for several decades. "It's not a matter of technology but the result of an ineffective National Space Transportation Policy and poor Congressional oversight that has set achieving true commercial passenger spaceflight back decades. Congress was incorrectly told it was not possible to build safe passenger spaceliners. That has been a false understanding for decades."

Safety is paramount in air travel and is what's needed to establish commercial passenger space travel. "Every business engaged in public commerce, especially those engaged in for-hire passenger transportation, has a clear legal duty-to-care obligation to keep the public safe from foreseeable harm." Merely using the word "passenger" to describe the service creates this duty. Someone then has to certify that the public will be acceptably safe. Beginning in the late 1800s, the federal government took on this responsibility through commerce regulation and independent safety certification. In the 1930s, this extended to aviation through airworthiness certification. The government independently examines each airliner design and each airliner built to determine if it's acceptably safe. When it is, an airworthiness certificate is issued. Aircraft are grounded by the government when they're no longer deemed airworthy.

Twenty years ago, Congress was misled into adopting legislation that doesn't use the term "passenger" for commercial space travelers but intentionally invented "space flight participants" to avoid requiring airworthiness certification for commercial passenger space flight systems. "This was a legal ruse to enable the passenger duty-to-care obligation to be legally ignored. Congress was led to believe that a legal gimmick would speed up developing true commercial passenger space flight. They were plainly wrong. Instead, we are back to using space capsules instead of flying passenger spaceliners."

Airworthiness certification also applies to all military human flight systems. An early determination of airworthiness was Snead's responsibility during the Transatmospheric Vehicle study in 1984-85. "The Strategic Air Command wanted a manned, fully reusable spaceplane capable of taking off and landing at Air Force bases." Wright-Patterson began investigating how best to do this in 1979. In 1983, they released a concept call to industry which identified a half-dozen possible solutions. "I became the Project Engineer to help narrow the solutions and lead a formal technology readiness assessment to answer the key question of whether industry was ready to undertake such a project." At Wright-Patterson, this was how all major programs started, including the highly advanced stealth F-22 and B-2 programs then also being managed at Wright-Patterson.

Using airworthiness and operational cost and mission utility metrics, the proposed concepts were narrowed to a two-stage, horizontal takeoff and landing concept most responsive to what the Strategic Air Command wanted. It was one of three concepts submitted by Boeing. A General Officer Steering Group formed to determine if industry was technologically ready to undertake developing such a system, not just Boeing but industry as a whole. "When about forty Air Force experts got done with the evaluation, the score sheet was green. Wright-Patterson concluded they could successfully manage its development and acquisition. Wright-Patterson sent its recommendation forward to get started." Everyone was quite excited, but poor policy choices went against that recommendation. Still, "Four decades ago, America's leading center for advanced aerospace flight believed America's aerospace industry could successfully develop and build manned spaceplane systems. That's four decades where this capability remained on the shelf, untapped due to poor policy choices. Four decades that gave China time to catch up."

The desire to start developing spaceplanes in the 1980s was comparable to what Wright-Patterson did with leading America's opening of jet travel beginning in the late 1940s. "Almost immediately after the end of World War II, Boeing proposed a swept wing, jet-powered bomber for the Air Force while others proposed more conventional designs." Wright-Patterson acquired the Boeing B-47. It first flew in 1947, just two years after the war ended. Boeing then followed with the B-52. Taking a big financial risk, in 1953 Boeing built a prototype jetliner that led to the Air Force KC-135 tanker and the famed B-707 airliner. "What made the rapid leap from military to commercial jet transports possible was that Wright-Patterson worked closely with industry to broadly advance their jet expertise to strengthen the industrial base." By the time B-707 commercial service started in 1958, Wright-Patterson had already started the Dyna-Soar spaceplane program. "That's how fast Wright-Patterson was pushing technology and operational capability, just what America needs now."

The Department of the Air Force should now direct Wright-Patterson to develop fully reusable manned spaceplanes for the military to open the spaceplane age. "Had Wright-Patersont acquired a military spaceplane, it would have been airworthiness certified as are all military aircraft. This would then have enabled commercial spaceliners, built as passenger derivatives of the military spaceplanes, to be commercially airworthiness certified. Around the year 2000, a quarter century ago, normal commercial passenger spaceflight service to and from LEO could have been underway. By now, it would be as routine as flying to Europe." NASA could also have done this after the Shuttle was retired, "but they went back to using capsules. They've just given up."

Operating spaceliners to LEO means there must be someplace to go. How do we get that started?

"If we had commercial spaceliners around 2000, then the International Space Station would have been built as the International Space Hotel. Now, with the ISS nearing the end of its life, along with developing the first spaceplanes, we need to build the first permanent space ports in LEO. These will be where the commercial development of space solar power begins, locations for commercial companies to set up shop to begin to industrialize space."

The one bright light that emerged from NASA was bringing the Space Launch System into operation. When Snead began developing future astrologistics concepts in the 1990s, working with industry he identified the need for a heavy and oversize unmanned spacelifter. "Every effective logistics capability needs to be able to transport heavy and oversize cargo." Snead envisioned an unmanned Shuttle-derived launch vehicle essentially what twenty years later NASA developed as the SLS.

Now Snead advocates using the unmanned cargo version of the SLS to launch large prefabricated and tested modules into LEO to be assembled into space bases, rotating space habitats, and even true interplanetary spaceships. "This is how large ships are built. They are assembled from large, prefabricated modules." Proven during World War II, it's the most cost-effective way to build ships. Using this same approach, America can quickly establish a substantial astrologistics base of commercial operations in LEO to give American companies robust access to the Earth-Moon system. "Only the SLS can enable this to be done at the scale needed. We don't have time to waste. The SLS is operational. We need to aggressively exploit that capability to begin building the Astral Highway."

Snead expects the government to sign power purchase agreements that will build the first operational SSP platforms. This will "green light" the private investment that will take over further funding, likely through mechanisms as used for conventional power plants: bonds, equity investment, and power purchase agreements.

In America, military and commercial aviation often share major airport facilities built at government expense. Snead sees the same happening throughout the Earth-Moon system. "Using SLS-launched modules, astrologistics facilities would be built first in LEO." From there, additional facilities would be built in lunar orbit, then at the L-1, L-4 and L-5 Lagrangian locations, and finally in GEO. "Once the SLS and module production lines are operating, building copies of the same facilities elsewhere in the Earth-Moon system will quickly be done." The U.S. military and a new Space Guard would use these Astral Highway facilities to base government spaceships while commercial spaceline companies would fly the same spaceways delivering the passengers, cargo, and supplies needed to develop space solar power. "This is how America can get space industrialization underway."

The American military relies on a mix of military and commercial logistics capabilities to undertake its global missions. "If we want this astrologistics job to be done right, it needs to be led by those who have decades of relevant experience and expertise. Only the U.S. military can provide the confidence needed that it will be done right. They understand integrated logistics and long-term sustainment needs of complex systems." The Army Corps of Engineers could manage construction of orbiting astrologistics facilities as well as future lunar bases. "They know how to plan and execute massive infrastructure projects. Remember, they built the Panama Canal a century ago."

Once the Astral Highway opens the Earth-Moon system to industrialization, the first step is validating that viable SSP platforms are being designed and can be built. Snead imagines prototype SSP platforms will be built at government expense to validate the end-to-end ability to produce, transmit, and supply astroelectricity. "There are many competing designs now being worked on. That's just how it was with aeronautics in the 1930s. We want the best SSP ideas to win, not the best public relations efforts." That requires the government to have "fair and open" competitions.

Scaling up is where large-scale industrialization begins. Professor Gerard K. O'Neill of Princeton University realized in the 1970s that shipping parts for SSP platforms up from Earth would not be economically practical at the scale needed. America will need to mine asteroids for needed materials. "That's why I call this the spacefaring industrial revolution. It will provide all the materials and energy civilization needs to continue to thrive."

Snead expects the government to sign power purchase agreements that will build the first operational SSP platforms. This will "green light" the private investment that will take over further funding, likely through mechanisms as conventional power plants: bonds, equity investment, and power purchase agreements.

The timeline matters critically. "If we start now, we have perhaps 20-30 years before fracking peaks and America needs to be ready to use its new clean energy infrastructure to replace fossil fuels. Wait 10 years, and we're trying to build during an energy crisis." The pattern resembles previous strategic oversights. "Look at our scramble for rare earth minerals now, after letting China dominate that supply chain for decades. We're trying to catch up during the crisis instead of preparing ahead."

China has started its own SSP development program. If China builds its operational SSP platforms first, what does that mean for America?

"Communist China plays long games very well. It is an advantage of dictatorships," Snead observed. "Thirty years ago, they identified taking control of rare earth mineral production as a means of obtaining political leverage. Now they control 90% of processing. They're now trying to do the same with space solar power."

China didn't undertake a human spaceflight mission until 2003. Now, only two decades later, they have bypassed the United States to take the lead in human spaceflight. They began building their own space station in 2021 and continue to expand it. China controls the only other operational human spaceflight capability. The United States must now rely on SpaceX, a private company, to launch astronauts.

China announced plans in 2021 to build a space solar power station by 2035, with a dedicated research facility in Chongqing and over 900 researchers working on the program. Both NASA and the Department of Energy have essentially abandoned SSP development. "China sees SSP development as their entry into becoming a true spacefaring nation. They intend to dominate this new frontier just as they are doing with rare earth materials."

Global leadership in developing SSP goes beyond simply supplying astroelectricity to the ground. The nation that brings SSP online first will also use it to build an immense off-world industrial infrastructure. "Whoever controls space-based power generation controls the ultimate high ground. You can beam power anywhere on Earth, to lunar bases, to spacecraft. It's soft power infrastructure that creates hard dependencies."

Importantly, Snead explained the potential for a space transportation revolution using beamed power. "Beaming power to spaceships would enable the use of electric space propulsion which is much more efficient than chemical propulsion. The same SSP platforms that supply astroelectricity to the ground would also supply it to spaceships traveling throughout the central solar system. What nation controls the SSP controls spacefaring throughout the solar system."

Imagine China operating 50 gigawatts of space solar power capacity by 2045 while America still pursues a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. "They offer cheap, clean power to developing nations. Those nations become dependent on Chinese space infrastructure, just like the Belt and Road Initiative created dependencies through ports and railways." Belt and Road has already invested over $1 trillion across 150 countries, creating debt dependencies that translate into political leverage. The leverage extends beyond Earth. "Lunar operations need power. Mars missions need power. If China controls the orbital power infrastructure, they control who can operate beyond Earth orbit."

Where do things stand today? What does the Trump administration now need to do?

Snead reflected on a lesson from Star Trek. In The Wrath of Khan, while Kirk and Khan engaged in a harrowing space battle in dense space fog limiting visibility, Spock suddenly realized both were thinking two-dimensionally like surface ships at sea. Kirk immediately ordered the Enterprise to descend vertically, gaining a tactical advantage that saved them from destruction. "That's where America is today regarding SSP and China. We're thinking two-dimensionally about energy while China is already thinking three-dimensionally, seeing space as the solution."

The window for regaining American leadership in space is narrow. "We have perhaps 10 years to commit seriously, 20 years to achieve operational capability at the scale needed to begin deploying SSP." After that, catching up becomes exponentially harder. "Once someone has hundreds of platforms operating, they've solved the engineering challenges, driven down costs through mass production, locked in customers. You're not competing with their current technology but their next generation."

Snead has a warning from his Wright-Patterson days. "Beginning in 1957, before Sputnik, Wright-Patterson began developing a small military spaceplane. That got cancelled in 1963 in favor of NASA's manned exploration program. In 1985, we recommended building the two-stage fully reusable spaceplane. We had Boeing's design. We could have had that capability by 2000." Boeing received patent #4,802,639 in 1989 for their two-stage-to-orbit space transportation system that Wright-Patterson recommended. Instead, the Air Force chose not to proceed. "Now, forty years later, China's building space stations while America is still only talking about developing true spaceplanes. SpaceX is great, but they are just one company, not a national commitment."

His frustration is evident. "America has the needed aerospace mastery to build the Astral Highway and develop SSP that extends far beyond just SpaceX. We build the most advanced aircraft, the most capable spacecraft. SpaceX proved we can innovate rapidly when motivated." But institutional inertia runs deep. "Every study recommends more studies. Every commission recommends forming another commission. Meanwhile, China builds hardware."

Snead returned to emphasizing the need for whole-of-the-nation action to develop SSP. "Either America wakes up to the combined threat of real future energy scarcity and China seeking command of the ultimate strategic high ground, or we see China deploying SSP systems and react too late." Snead prefers neither option. "The smart move is acting now, while we have time to do this right, establish standards, and build the Astral Highway. But that requires leadership willing to think beyond election cycles."

Author's Analysis

The mathematics are unforgiving. America consumes energy equivalent to 17 billion barrels of oil annually, with 70% from fossil fuels that will peak within decades. Replacing this requires 44 trillion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each year. Ground solar would need to cover Texas. Wind farms coast-to-coast could barely meet half the demand. Nuclear would require breeding 5,000 tonnes of weapons-grade material annually. The only solution that scales exists 22,300 miles above Earth.

Mike Snead watched America walk past this conclusion in 1985. Forty Air Force experts evaluated Boeing's two-stage spaceplane and declared it industry ready. The technology score sheet was green. Instead, the recommendation disappeared into archives while China now builds hardware. They control the only other operational human spaceflight capability. They have a brand new space station. They've already bypassed the United States in human spaceflight.

The strategic implications compound. Whoever controls orbital power platforms controls lunar operations, Mars missions, asteroid mining, and overall space industrialization. China could offer clean energy to developing nations, creating dependencies that dwarf Belt and Road's trillion-dollar investments. America would become a customer of Chinese orbital infrastructure.

Around 2045, America will need to begin using space solar power to replace fossil fuels. Mike Snead will be 91 years old in 2045, if he lives to see that future arrive. The question isn't whether space solar power will transform civilization. The question is whether the space solar power transformation will be stamped "Made in USA" or "中国制造."

The Hoover Dam took five years to build during the Great Depression. America needs 2,500 of them in space. The clock is running.

About Mike Snead

James Michael (Mike) Snead is an aerospace Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a past chairman of the AIAA's Space Logistics Technical Committee. He is the founder and president of the Spacefaring Institute LLC which advocates for space solar power-generated astroelectricity and the astrologistics infrastructure necessary to enable the spacefaring industrial revolution that will build space solar power energy systems.

Mike Snead was a civilian aerospace engineer with the U.S. Air Force. He has been involved in space development since the mid-1980s when he was the Project Engineer for the US Air Force Transatmospheric Vehicle (TAV) studies, the Chief Flight Systems and Lead Structures Engineer in the National Aerospace Plane Joint Program Office, and a technical consultant on the Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X) project. He also supported the X-33 source selection and represented the Air Force in planning discussions with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in 2001-2002 regarding a proposed joint development of a manned, two-stage, fully-reusable TAV (spaceplane) system. In 2007, after retiring from civilian employment with the Air Force, he focused on the need for (and politics associated with) undertaking space solar power. This began with his invited support of an early Department of Defense study of space solar power.

Beginning in the late 1980s, Mike Snead has published numerous papers and articles on various aspects of manned spaceflight, astrologistics, and America's and the world's needed transition to sustainable energy. Most of his technical papers and articles are located at ResearchGate. Since 2007, he also periodically publishes commentary on his blog Spacefaring America. Mike Snead is also quite active on LinkedIn. He can be contacted through LinkedIn or at spacefaringinstitute@gmail.com.

Further resources:

1. Assessment of U.S. Sustainable Energy Needs and Transition Options
2. Separate executive "Summary and Conclusions" of the assessment
3. Astroelectricity: America's National Energy Security Imperative
4. America's Moral Obligation to Develop Astroelectricity
5. Solving the Commercial Passenger Spaceflight Puzzle
6. American Astrologistics
7. Astroelectricity (eBook)
8. Building America's "Astral Highway" (7-minute video)
9. America's Spacelifter – Using the SLS cargo version to build America's astrologistics infrastructure (4-minute video)
10. The Coming Age of Astroelectricity (9-minute video)