Space-Based Solar Power Demonstration Satellite
Aetherflux
Aetherflux's first orbital spacecraft designed to demonstrate kilowatt-class wireless power beaming from low Earth orbit to Earth using infrared lasers, targeting a 2026 launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare.
Technical specifications
- Satellite Bus
- Apex Space Aries
- Orbital Altitude
- 550 km (LEO)
- Transmission Method
- Near-optical infrared laser
- Transmitted Power
- Up to 1 kW
- Transmission Duration per Pass
- 30 seconds to 1 minute
- Orbital Pass Duration
- ~10 minutes
- Ground Receiver Diameter
- 5–10 m
- Launch Vehicle
- SpaceX Falcon 9 (Transporter rideshare)
- Target Launch Year
- 2026
- Funding
- $60M total (including DoD OECIF award)
About
Aetherflux’s Power Beaming Demonstration Satellite is the company’s inaugural spacecraft, designed to validate end-to-end space-based solar power transmission from low Earth orbit to a terrestrial receiver. Rather than the microwave-based approach used by legacy space solar concepts, Aetherflux’s system uses near-optical infrared lasers, which enable higher power density and allow the use of smaller ground receivers — approximately 5–10 meters in diameter — compared to traditional microwave rectennae measured in kilometers.
The spacecraft is built on the Aries satellite bus manufactured by Apex Space and carries a custom payload consisting of solar arrays, an onboard battery, a pointing and tracking mechanism, optical equipment, and a kilowatt-class infrared laser transmitter. During each roughly 10-minute orbital pass over a ground station, the satellite will transmit power for 30 seconds to 1 minute, targeting a transmission of up to 1 kilowatt to the receiving photovoltaic array on the ground.
The demonstration is intended to set a new distance record for wireless power transmission and to validate the core technology underpinning Aetherflux’s vision of a commercial power beaming constellation. The US Department of Defense’s Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF) has backed the program, recognizing the potential to deliver power to contested or austere environments.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
