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Lane B Engineering extrapolation (known physics, plausible scaling)
Section 3.1.6.1 • Living Document v0.1 • 30 April 2026

Power Generation & Energy Distribution System (PGEDS-v1)

Micro-Modular to Astro-Habitat & Portal Scale

Universal, fail-operational power substrate. All current experimental and theoretical concepts realised under ASI acceleration.

Inter-Planetary Link Ship • Guildford, Surrey, UK

Universal Modular Power Architecture

The requirement cards on this page govern. Where this text differs, the card applies.

1. Core Architecture Requirements

  • All modules share identical universal interface standards (mechanical, electrical, thermal, data).
  • Mechanical docking plates: ±0.05 m tolerance, 6-DoF alignment, hot-swappable under load.
  • Electrical bus: bidirectional DC, 0.1 kW–10 TW scalable, auto-regulating voltage 100 V–1 MV.
  • Thermal rejection: closed-loop ports compatible with asteroid-derived radiators or ISRU coolant.
  • Data/command bus: encrypted, authenticated, versioned protocol exposing real-time metrics (output, efficiency, lifetime, faults).

2. Scalable Output Tiers

  • Micro-Modular Tier (0.1 kW–100 kW): mass < 50 kg, volume < 0.2 m³ – probes, EVA suits, rovers, emergency kits.
  • Mid-Scale Modular Tier (100 kW–10 MW): vessel propulsion, small habitats, ISRU processors.
  • Astro-Habitat / Portal Tier (10 MW–10 TW+): hollowed-asteroid stations, portal generators, fleet hubs. Unlimited parallel stacking with automatic load-balancing.

3. Realised Technology Suite (ASI-matured)

Multi-mode operation across the full spectrum (operator selectable or hybrid):

  • Fission (high-assay low-enriched uranium micro-reactors)
  • Fusion (inertial, magnetic, magnetised-target, aneutronic, direct-conversion)
  • Exotic: zero-point/vacuum energy extraction, Casimir-effect devices, antimatter-catalysed reactions, quantum-vacuum power taps, spacetime-metric side-products

4. Fail-Operational & Multi-Century Design

  • N+3 redundancy at every scale (three independent paths + one hot-standby).
  • Graceful degradation: any two failures = 100 % nominal output.
  • Self-repair via embedded ISRU nanofabricators; MTBS > 50 years.
  • Radiation-hardened, EMP-immune, thermal-runaway-proof containment.
  • Operator authority follows IPLS-5.1-002. An on-site override confers no operator authority.

5. Energy Distribution, Storage & ISRU Tie-In

  • Universal superconducting bus and 10× surge capacitor banks.
  • Wireless power beaming (laser/microwave) option.
  • All fuel/feedstock sourced exclusively from local asteroid regolith.

6. Operator Control & Governance

Operator authority follows IPLS-5.1-002. An ASI is never an operator.

Defined Interfaces

PGEDS-v1 → PIS-v1 (Portal Power Coupling)
PGEDS-v1 → Power Architecture for Permanent Bases (3.1.6)
PGEDS-v1 → ISRU & Mining Fleet
PGEDS-v1 → Interstellar Generation Ships
IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-001 Maturity: B
Phase 4

PGEDS-v1 Universal Power Generation Mandate

Requirement: Every hollowed base shall utilise PGEDS-v1 (IPLS-3.1.6-001). Tier boundaries are provisional and the demand basis is unset (IPLS-3.1.6-002). Which PGEDS-v1 sources a Lane B base may depend on is unset. Which other asset classes use PGEDS-v1 is unset.

Rationale: Provides a single, standardised, fail-operational power substrate across the entire IPLS ecosystem.

Interfaces
UMP-PWR-001, UMP-MECH-001, UMP-THERMAL-001, Operator-Control Layer
Verification Method
Tiered power output testing • Digital-twin scalability simulation
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Power scaling mismatch (mitigated by modular hot-swap architecture)
Dependencies
Power Architecture (3.1.6), Universal Modular Platforms (3.2)

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-002 Maturity: B
Phase 4

Multi-Mode Energy Source Integration

Requirement: PGEDS-v1 may support fission, fusion, antimatter-catalysed, and exotic sources. The ASI recommends the primary source. The operator selects it under IPLS-5.1-002. Load balancing between selected sources is logged and reported. Which sources a Lane B base may depend on is unset. The arbitration priority order is unset.

Rationale: Enables optimal energy production across mission phases and future technology evolution.

Interfaces
PGEDS-v1 internal buses, UMP-PWR-001
Verification Method
Hybrid source bench testing • Digital-twin multi-mode simulation
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Source conflict (mitigated by priority-based automatic arbitration)
Dependencies
IPLS-3.1.6.1-001

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-003 Maturity: B
Phase 4

N+3 Redundancy at Every Power Node

Requirement: Redundancy, degradation, and load-shedding follow IPLS-3.1.6-003.

Rationale: Life-support loads are on the separate fail-operational path and are not shed (IPLS-3.1.6-003).

Interfaces
PGEDS-v1, UMP-DIAG-001
Verification Method
Fault-injection testing • Accelerated life testing
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Cascading failure (mitigated by fully isolated redundant paths)
Dependencies
IPLS-3.1.6.1-001

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-004 Maturity: B
Phase 4

ISRU Feedstock & Fuel Integration

Requirement: Feedstock follows IPLS-3.1.6-009.

Rationale: Closes the power resource loop and enables true self-sufficiency.

Interfaces
UMP-FLUID-001, On-Site Manufacturing (3.1.13)
Verification Method
ISRU-to-power feedstock validation • Closed-loop simulation
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Feedstock incompatibility (mitigated by material-agnostic design)
Dependencies
Power Architecture (3.1.6)

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-005 Maturity: B
Phase 4

Waste-Heat Recovery & Utilisation

Requirement: Waste heat follows IPLS-3.1.6-005.

Rationale: Increases overall system efficiency and reduces auxiliary power demand.

Interfaces
UMP-THERMAL-001, Life Support (3.1.5)
Verification Method
Thermal balance audit • Digital-twin heat-flow simulation
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Thermal runaway (mitigated by redundant cooling loops)
Dependencies
IPLS-3.1.6.1-001

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-006 Maturity: B
Phase 4

Bidirectional Power Hardpoint Standard

Requirement: UMP-PWR-001 applies up to its port rating. The interface above that rating and the per-port ceiling are unset (IPLS-3.1.6-002). Isolation follows IPLS-3.1.6-006. Hot-swap on a node feeding life support follows IPLS-3.1.6-003 and IPLS-3.1.5-008.

Rationale: Enables seamless module swapping and fleet-wide power sharing.

Interfaces
UMP-PWR-001, UMP-HOTSWAP-001
Verification Method
Live hot-swap power testing
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Power interruption during swap (mitigated by redundant buses)
Dependencies
Universal Modular Platforms (3.2)

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-007 Maturity: B
Phase 4

Operator Control & Manual Override

Requirement: Overrides follow IPLS-3.1.6-007. Restart follows IPLS-3.1.6-004.

Rationale: Preserves operator authority under IPLS-5.1-002.

Interfaces
UMP-OPERATOR-001
Verification Method
Human-in-the-loop override testing
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Automation lockout (mitigated by physical interlocks)
Dependencies
UMP-OPERATOR-001

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-008 Maturity: B
Phase 4

Multi-Century Durability & TSP-v1 Supersession Readiness

Requirement: Durability follows IPLS-3.1.6-008. Supersession waits for operator consent under IPLS-5.1-002. TSP-v1 readiness criteria are undefined.

Rationale: Ensures the power system remains viable as frontier energy technologies evolve.

Interfaces
TSP-v1, UMP-DURABILITY-001
Verification Method
Accelerated life testing • TSP-v1 retrofit simulation
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Irreparable failure (mitigated by modular replication)
Dependencies
All prior 3.1.6.1 items

Open Questions: None at v0.7

IPLS-IPLS-3.1.6.1-009 Maturity: B
Phase 4

PGEDS-v1 Crewed Operations Transition & Readiness Gate

Requirement: Crew arrival follows IPLS-3.1-018 and IPLS-3.1.4-012. The 180-day PGEDS-v1 audit is evidence for that gate, not a second gate.

Rationale: Protects biological and post-biological crews by ensuring the foundational power system is verifiably stable before human presence.

Interfaces
Operator-Control Layer, Ethical Frameworks (5.1), Governance Frameworks (3.1.11), Power Architecture (3.1.6)
Verification Method
180-day autonomous power operations audit • Human-in-the-loop readiness gate simulation
Failure Modes & Mitigations
Premature transition (mitigated by hard automated gate and operator veto)
Dependencies
All prior 3.1.6.1 items, Ethical Frameworks (5.1)

Open Questions: None at v0.7