Civilian and military researchers will look at applications for the technology amid concerns about radiation and the potential for beams misfired from space.
I think the hurdles of targeting/aiming could be overcome without thrusters. The Mars land rover doesn’t use fuel. The sun would be the source of power.
In the vacuum of space, you need to eject mass to move. Unless you’re talking about a light sail, which is limited to tiny objects. I don’t know how the mars missions worked, but I imagine they would take advantage of Mars’s (thin, but still present) atmosphere.
We’re talking 2 different things. Satellites are stationary. The movement would be to target something on the ground. That can be done with servo motors (electro-magnetic). No mass has to be ejected for that.
I think the hurdles of targeting/aiming could be overcome without thrusters. The Mars land rover doesn’t use fuel. The sun would be the source of power.
In the vacuum of space, you need to eject mass to move. Unless you’re talking about a light sail, which is limited to tiny objects. I don’t know how the mars missions worked, but I imagine they would take advantage of Mars’s (thin, but still present) atmosphere.
We’re talking 2 different things. Satellites are stationary. The movement would be to target something on the ground. That can be done with servo motors (electro-magnetic). No mass has to be ejected for that.