American Institute of Beamed Energy Propulsion: An Introduction

To date ISBEP remains the main forum addressing the science and engineering of beamed energy propulsion. Hopefully, it will continue to serve BEP community in this capacity for years to come. The need for organization acting beyond ISBEP was discussed since the second symposium. This paper will address the following question: if our community is ready for having its own organization, a BEP institute, what new it should bring comparing to already existing conference. Such organization, an American Institute on Beamed Energy Propulsion (AIBEP) was recently established. The institute is designed as a nonprofit corporation serving the purpose “to promote the ideas, concepts and benefits of beamed‐energy propulsion to research community, industry and society at large”. The goals of the institute, expected outcomes and benefits of the organization and its membership will be discussed.