Wireless Power Milestones and Orbital Energy Breakthroughs

SSP Bulletin – December 2025

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

Space Frontier Foundation Updates

Last month, we co-hosted the 2025 International Conference on Energy from Space in France under the theme “Energy for Security”. The conversations, partnerships, and progress showcased signaled that we’re entering a new era of clean, reliable, and scalable energy solutions. Across industry, government, and advocacy, one thing became clear: the Space Frontier Foundation is becoming the connective tissue helping the space-based solar power ecosystem cohere.

We’re thrilled to share that the Space Frontier Foundation will take the lead for the 2026 International Conference on Energy from Space. Thanks to all the partners, teams, and participants who made this year’s event such a milestone. Special thanks to Sanjay Vijendran of Space Energy Insights. The future of energy is bright, and together, we’re building it!

With the help of our donors, students and emerging leaders are stepping forward to help shape SSP’s future, and thoughtful engagement across the community is growing. We have reached our first of many inflection points in making lasting impact. Continued support allows us to nurture this progress and expand who can participate. Read our donor report here, and please consider donating to support the work ahead!

Notable News

• Overview Energy is emerging from stealth with a mission to build Space Solar Energy. They're planning on powering utility scale solar projects with safe, invisible near-infrared light from space, without needing in-space assembly, and using off the shelf components. They successfully beamed power from an aircraft to a solar array 5 km away on the ground. Overview Energy was also featured by Engine Ventures and is backed by EQT Foundation.

  
  

• Aetherflux announced their Galactic Brain project, with the goal to launch its first solar powered data center satellite into low Earth orbit in 2027. Aetherflux joins other major companies like SpaceX, Amazon, and Google in exploring AI computing solutions by its rapid energy growth. They are also collaborating with National Laboratory of the Rockies with their signage of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). They’re focusing on developing efficient solar cells, designed for the SSP technology that Aetherflux is creating.
  

• NASA has appointed Jared Isaacman as its 15th administrator after his confirmation on December 17th. He will lead NASA’s exploration, science, and technology efforts, focusing on lunar and Mars missions, STEM education, and expanding commercial partnerships for space exploration.
  

SSP Systems Enablers

• Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has signaled interest in creating data centers in orbit. Musk plans to scale up his developing Starlink V3 satellites to follow the interest in SSP infrastructure. The expansion of the Starlink V3 remains unclear but is expected to happen.
  

• With the ongoing demand of energy for AI, Google has proposed creating space-based data center systems. Project Suncatcher works to create solar powered satellites carrying the Tensor Processing Unit (Google's AI chip). This chip will run directly in space, rather than on Earth with strained energy systems. Google is planning on testing Project Suncatcher around 2027.
  

• Solestial Inc. received $1.3M from the Department of the Air Force for a Phase II SBIR to rapidly develop a multi-orbital solar array by February 2027, and was featured in pv magazine USA for its Space Act Agreement with NASA Glenn Research Center.
  

• According to Sophia Space, Scientists at the University of Cambridge have created stable halide perovskite layers, resulting in cheaper and more efficient devices for capturing light. Easy manufacturing and lighter materials strengthens the possibility of SSP for the future.

Promising Use Cases

Image Courtesy: FreeP!k

Western Washington was struck with intense flooding after a river overflowed the region from days of heavy rain. The floods have submerged neighborhoods, cut off major highways, and stranded families while awaiting rescue by helicopters and boats. Power outages dirupted communication, water and waste systems, and medical services toward the community when they needed it the most. In Asia, citizens have suffered devastating floods that have affected countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. These floods are forcing mass evacuations, submerging entire communities, and damaging infastructure. If SSP was currently active, it would deliver continuous energy even when ground infastructure was damaged or destroyed. SSP would help keep evacuation centers, emergency communication, and medical equipment running. As disasters continue to happen, SSP could strengthen disaster preparedness and provide stability within communities.

Off-Grid Communities

Image Courtesy: Pexels

Heat intensifies in rural communities, specifically New Mexico, and has rougly 13,000 families living without access to grid electricity. These families rely heavily on limited solar panels, generators, or even their vehicles for basic power as temperature increases to 110 degrees Farenheit. Similarly, Pakistan has had ongoing struggles with energy access across the country. Many rural households are forced to depend on unreliable electricity and small generators just to meet basic needs. A potential long-term solution is having SSP deliver continuous energy to remote communities. In regions where extensive grids is economically and geographically difficult, SSP support cooling, refrigeration, medical equipment, and communication. As climate change drives hotter and longer heat waves, SSP can alleviate vulnerable families.

Outsiders' Perspectives

• A report by Dubai Future Foundation gives a great general overview of SSP, speaking about generating massive amounts of clean energy and producing 2 GW (Gravitational Waves) from a SSP satellite.
  

• Startups Magazine has written an article of the startup founded by John Bucknell, Virtus Solis. Virtus Solis emphasizes satellite manufacturing in mass amounts and reducing launch and construction costs. They plan to have an in-orbit mission in 2027 and commercial deployment in 2030.
  

• An article by New Space Economy explains SSP’s feasibility with rapid drop in launch costs, progress in wireless power transmission, and development of modular orbital structures. SSP can eventually offer constant, clean power and support future space infrastructure.
  

• The Harvard Technology Review discusses the general concept of SSP. Countries like the United States, China, and Japan are actively researching SSP to make it a long-term goal rather than science fiction.
  

• OKAPI:Orbits discusses SSP and how it is no longer speculative and is entering a demonstration phase throughout multiple SSP companies. They connect SSP to their company by their goals of alleviating space traffic and coordinate operations, emphasizing SSP impact on technological advancement and government regulations.

Experts and Advocates on SSP

• Return on Insights interviews John Bucknell, CEO of Virtus Solis and discusses his company's goal of SSP by 2030. He also discusses the company's strategy of using existing SSP manufacturing, leveraging the same tools used in Earth-based solar power. Bucknell emphasizes having big visions with alignment that create disciplined executions.
  

• Space Energy Insights launched an SSP calculator that estimates grid-delivered power and explains that SSP can be economically viable even if only 5% reaches Earth, as continuous generation and high capacity factors can cover system costs and generate profit.
  

• Sam Adlen, co-CEO of Space Solar, had the opportunity to talk to the Anglofuturism team about his company. They covered the concept of SSP, the logistics, and the economic impact it will have on the United Kingdom.
  

• On Sirotin Intelligence, Martin Soltau, co-CEO of Space Solar, discusses the potential of SSP to address the global energy crisis. He highlights the limitations of current renewable sources, such as wind and solar, which are inconsistent and reliant on harmful mineral mining. He emphasizes its reduced need for critical minerals and outlines a plan for scalable development by the 2030s.
  

• A webinar, organized by the Women in Renewable Energy, focused on SSP and its benefits for clean energy in remote areas, particularly in the Arctic. Dr. Heather Alan Stoier moderated the event, featuring speakers John Mankins, Sam Adlen, and Dr. Karen Hinsza. John Mankins presented the SPS Alpha concept, a solar satellite that captures sunlight and transmits it to Earth. Sam Adlen introduced Space Solar’s Cassopia project, highlighting its global energy delivery and cost benefits. Dr. Hinsza outlined the technical aspects of SSP and the unique challenges posed by Arctic conditions.
  

• A video created by IEEE Future Directions talks to Dr. Gregory D. Durgin about the technical details and economic challenges SSP faces before becoming viable, emphasizing its potential as a clean energy solution.
  

• Stan Herasimenka, CTO and Cofounder of Solestial, discusses SpaceX and Starlink's influence on his interest in SSP. He talks about Starlink’s solar arrays and its suitability for higher orbits and long-term missions despite various limitations.
  

• Researchers featured in the new documentary Bright Harvest: Powering Earth From Space, explains the potentially affordable clean energy source of SSP. Caltech’s SSP Project, led by Dr. Harry Atwater, Dr. Ali Hajimiri, and Dr. Sergio Pellegrino, have already demonstrated that photovoltaic arrays deployed in orbit could transmit energy safely to Earth, achieved in 2023. The goal is to scale up to large space stations in orbit that run continuously day and night, delivering continuous power to Earth.
  

• Ghanim Alotaibi, a PhD candidate at the University of Strathclyde, discusses Earth’s energy system, the history behind SSP, and the recent advances that make SSP more realistic in the future. Watch the full lecture here.
  

• Ally Stone (DeGunther), Chief Strategy Officer at Reflect Orbital, spoke with Tom Sloan of TECHNE about her journey from renewable energy to the space industry. She discusses energy challenges that SSP could solve, falling launch costs, and the essential of the space industry becoming commercial.
  

• An article written by Hans Haringa discusses the plausibility of SSP from an energy professional's perspective, explaining its reliability and concept of SSP. It outlines how start-up driven approaches are breaking multiple problems that SSP faced like high launch costs, wireless power transmission, construction, and in-space maintenance.
  

• This paper by University of Glasgow discusses the need to manage the end-of-life phase of orbital solar reflectors, which help boost solar energy from space. As large structures in busy low Earth orbit, they can cause collision risks and could create debris. Without careful planning, orbital solar reflectors could worsen space debris, impacting future space activities. View the full SSP Bulletin archive here.