Orbitalteja

Orbitalteja is a concept in orbital engineering describing a modular, tessellated tile array intended for in-space solar energy collection and distribution. The design envisions numerous small tiles that can be grouped on a host satellite or orbital platform to form a large, reconfigurable power surface. The term combines the orbital context with teja, a coined word used to signify energy or brilliance.

Design and function: Each tile houses photovoltaic cells, power conditioning electronics, a thermal management system, and a wireless power transfer element such as a microwave or laser transceiver. Tiles connect via mechanical latches and electrical buses, enabling rapid reconfiguration, targeted shading, and fault-tolerant operation. The tessellated arrangement supports scaling from kilowatts to megawatts as needed and allows selective operation of subarrays for load management.

Deployment and operation: In proposed usage scenarios, tiles are manufactured on Earth or produced in orbit and assembled on orbit using robotic arms or autonomous assembly systems. Generated energy is converted to usable electrical power and transmitted to receiving systems on spacecraft, to storage modules within the array, or to ground-based receivers via directed-energy links. Energy management algorithms optimize orientation, thermal load, and beam efficiency.

Applications and challenges: Potential applications include high-power space infrastructure, support for lunar or deep-space habitats, and energy-as-a-service for satellite constellations. Challenges include radiation tolerance, inter-tile communication, thermal management, deployment reliability, and safety and regulatory concerns surrounding directed-energy transfer.

Status: Orbitalteja remains a conceptual construct with limited experimental demonstrations in related areas such as modular on-orbit assembly and wireless power transfer. It has not yet achieved widespread adoption in official space programs.