Aetherflux to Test Space-Based Laser Energy Transmission

Aetherflux to launch mini solar farms into orbit for space-to-Earth energy transmission via lasers.

California-based startup Aetherflux plans to launch mini solar farms into orbit by 2026, using low-orbit satellites to transmit energy from space to Earth via lasers, according to CNBC.

The technology will be launched using SpaceX rockets.

“We are going to create a constellation of satellites, each transmitting energy through infrared lasers. The advantage is that, firstly, generation is distributed among numerous spacecraft rather than concentrated in one giant unit. Secondly, the ground receiver collecting the energy can be made small,” stated the company’s CEO and Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt.

Electricity will be collected in space and transmitted to Earth through lasers to a network of small stations. The presence of multiple receivers enhances the system’s efficiency.

“One satellite can transmit energy to one point on Earth and then, as it continues its orbit, switch to another station and transmit there,” Bhatt explained.

Aetherflux is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense. The company’s head noted that the technology addresses the challenge of delivering energy to battlefields, where diesel generator convoys become targets for adversaries.

The project is supported by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund. Other investors include Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and New Enterprise Associates, with a total of $60 million raised.

“We believe the military customer is quite large and, to put it mildly, complex. If we can meet their needs, we will build a satellite constellation and scale up. At that point, the cost of the technology will decrease, and we will expand into other markets,” said Breakthrough Energy Ventures managing partner Cristian Garcia.

Bhatt noted that the technology remains expensive at this stage. The main goal now is to make it competitive with other energy sources. Key factors will be reducing launch costs and improving components.

The more satellites with new technology versions are launched into orbit, the cheaper production will become.

Aetherflux’s competitors include Cal-Tech, Virtus Solis, and the UK-based Space Solar. Earlier this year, China announced plans to build a 1 km-wide solar station in space that will continuously transmit energy to Earth via microwaves.

Back in May, China launched 12 satellites into space as part of a project to deploy a network of orbital supercomputers.