Our Mission: To create the landscape and conditions for commercial Space-Based Solar Power technology by the U.S. to become successful and self-sustaining.

Space Frontier Foundation Updates

• The Alliance for Space Development's space policy advocacy event, March Storm, is taking place on Capitol Hill from March 3rd-5th, and Space Based Solar Power will be on the agenda! RSVP here. 
• SFF advocate David Steitz has recently published an article in The Hill calling for a shift away from a NASA-centered space program to a more diverse landscape of commercial enterprises, particularly in areas like SBSP to maintain U.S. energy leadership.

Demonstrations & Experiments

• Volta Space Technologies has successfully tested power-beaming over a 200 meters distance to a lunar rover in a facility in Canada, with sufficient power to survive the lunar night and in permanently shadowed regions. Their lasers have underwent rigorous environmental testing as well.
• A joint experiment between Japan Space Systems and JAXA successfully tested the reception of radio waves at 13 different ground-based receivers from an aircraft flying at 7000 meters.
• India has become the fourth country in the world, behind the US, Russia, and China to achieve docking of two satellites in low-Earth orbit. This technology can be applied to in-orbit assembly of smaller solar panels, enabling future Indian SBSP advancements.

Other Notable News

• A first for wireless power transmission: Virtus Solis has been awarded a $1.92M grant from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-e), the first time an SBSP company has been awarded a public grant.
• China's newest megaproject: China has announced plans to build a 1-km solar panel in space, likening it to the scale of their Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydropower plant in the world. They plan to launch solar panels into orbit using their CZ-9 series of reusable rockets. China has been communicating plans since as early as 2019 for SBSP. Alongside SBSP development, China is also pursuing laser wireless power transmission to support spacecraft during the lunar night and in permanently shadowed regions of the moon. This technology will serve a key role in their future moon base, International Lunar Research Station.
• Starship Flight Test 7: In the Starship Integrated Flight Test 7, while the Super Heavy booster was successfully caught by the launch tower, the upper stage underwent "rapid unscheduled disassembly," prompting further FAA investigation. The cadence of Starship tests is necessary in enabling future launches of SBSP components.

Upcoming Events

• At the upcoming Satellite's GovMilSpace Conference in March 2025, Karen Jones of The Aerospace Corporation will be leading a panel of experts, which includes Dr. Paul Jaffe (DARPA), Dr. Erica Rodgers (NASA) and Dr. Ed Tate (Virtus Solis) on "Space Solar Power (SSP): How an US and Global Allies Invest and Participate?"

Outsiders' Perspectives

• Brian Miske of KPMG listed SBSP as one of his Top 10 Space Economy Predictions for 2025. In a follow-up article, he delves further into the potential of SBSP, some of the hurdles that need to be overcome, and the future outlook for SBSP.
• With the emergence of DeepSeek AI, the Jevons Paradox has been brought back into the spotlight. Although DeepSeek is more energy efficient than the leading ChatGPT, the paradox posits that increased efficiency leads to higher overall consumption rather than conservation. While efficiency improvements alone may not reduce fossil fuel dependence, SBSP offers a solution as a continuous, reliable clean energy source that could potentially meet the demand from the rebound effect, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and other limited resources.

Experts and Advocates on SBSP

• In a recent podcast with Turner Novak, Baiju Bhatt, Aetherflux co-founder, delves into the physics of power beaming and the roadmap ahead for his company.
• A paper by Andrew Wilson of Glasgow Caledonian University and Haroon Oqab of Kepler Space University for the International Astronautical Congress 2024 offers suggestions as to how to avoid "greenwashing" the SBSP narrative.
• In this IEEE article by Michelle Hampson, Dr. Hajimiri of Caltech shared his vision for programmable transit arrays, which his team presented in an October 2024 paper, between space-based transmitters and ground-based receivers that can serve as relays, key for focusing and controlling power beaming.

Myth: Space-Based Solar Power is far less economically viable than terrestrial clean energy alternatives

Fact: Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) is not in direct competition with intermittent renewables but serves as a complementary baseload source, enhancing grid stability. ESA-commissioned studies show that while SBSP may be costlier than wind and solar, it should be compared to other baseload options like nuclear or gas with carbon capture, not intermittent renewables. The IEA Net Zero 2050 roadmap confirms that even with large-scale storage, reliable baseload sources remain essential. SBSP, despite higher costs, could play a crucial role in a diverse, CO2-neutral energy mix by 2050. Find more information from ESA. NASA’s January 2024 study estimates that SBSP has the potential to deliver electricity at $30–$80/MWh by 2050 with emissions of 3,600–4,200 gCO2e/MWh, which is about one-tenth the emissions of terrestrial solar with lithium-ion storage at a similar cost. Given the growing need for flexible and reliable baseload power, SBSP is poised to play a critical role in a net-zero energy future.