Space Solar Power Targets Data Centers, Defense, and Aviation
- Space Frontier Foundation
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Space Frontier Foundation Updates
The Space Frontier Foundation is partnering with Experience POWER and the Data Center Power Exchange to introduce Space Solar Power directly to utility and energy sector leaders through a first-of-its-kind half-day program on Sept 30, 2026. The effort is designed to begin sustained engagement between the space and energy communities around the future of firm, dispatchable clean energy. Watch this page to know more in the coming weeks and register. The registration option for just the half-day SSP event is NOT live yet. It will be published soon!
Notable News
Space Solar and Lonestar Data Holdings signed a letter of intent to host Lonestar's sovereign data storage modules aboard Space Solar's in-space assembled power platforms. The partnership addresses the key bottleneck for orbital data centers — power — with plans spanning LEO, MEO, and GEO, and a first rideshare opportunity on Space Solar's OSPREYBuilder mission targeted for 2028.
Overview Energy won an Air Force contract to study space-based solar power for military bases, exploring how beamed energy from orbit could provide resilient, fuel-independent power to forward-deployed and remote installations — a use case where logistics costs and vulnerability of traditional supply lines make SSP especially compelling.
China announced its latest breakthrough in space solar power technology, successfully completing a high-power wireless energy transmission test that represents a step forward in Beijing's long-running program to deploy a megawatt-class space-based solar power station. The program is also drawing attention for its potential military applications, with reports noting the dual-use nature of high-power microwave beaming and the strategic advantages of energy independence for deployed military assets.
TerraSpark, a European SSP startup, is planning to power a live music concert in Portugal using wireless power beamed over 100 meters — the company's first major ground demonstration. In a podcast interview, founder Sanjay Vijendran (formerly of ESA) also confirmed TerraSpark will fly an RF power-beaming payload aboard D-Cubed's Arrakis mission in early 2027, marking its first in-space demonstration.
Helio is positioning itself in the space-based solar market, developing orbital solar collection and wireless power transmission capabilities aimed at delivering clean baseload energy to Earth. The company is targeting the growing intersection of space infrastructure and terrestrial energy demand.
SSP Systems Enablers
York Space Systems announced a definitive agreement to acquire Solestial, which produces ultrathin, radiation-hardened silicon solar cells engineered for space. The deal brings U.S.-based, self-healing solar cell manufacturing into York's supply chain, reducing reliance on Chinese-controlled materials and addressing growing lead-time and capacity constraints in legacy III-V solar technology.
JAXA published a research update on its SSP program, detailing ongoing work toward the OHISAMA orbital demonstration mission planned for late 2026. A key focus of the update is JAXA's development of lightweight perovskite solar cells for space applications — a potentially game-changing alternative to traditional silicon and III-V cells due to their low manufacturing cost, flexibility, and high power-to-weight ratio. The mission aims to beam a small amount of power from LEO to the ground, validating both long-distance wireless power transmission and the viability of perovskite photovoltaics in the harsh orbital environment.
Promising Use Cases
Continued Energy Demand from Data Centers
Rep. Mikie Sherrill highlighted the urgent power demands of data centers in New Jersey, underscoring how surging electricity consumption from AI and cloud computing is straining existing grid infrastructure. New Jersey has seen a rapid influx of data center proposals, with projected energy needs that could rival the consumption of entire cities. This growing energy crunch is precisely the kind of demand signal that SSP advocates point to as a core driver for space-based energy solutions: baseload, clean power that doesn't compete for land or depend on weather.
SSP Coverage in the News
Outsiders' Perspectives
Communications of the ACM ran a feature declaring that space-based solar power "is on its way," surveying the current landscape of companies, government programs, and technology demonstrations converging to make SSP a near-term reality rather than a decades-old concept study.
Heatmap published an analysis of the growing space economy, examining how declining launch costs, in-space manufacturing, and orbital infrastructure are creating the conditions for capital-intensive ventures like SSP to become economically viable for the first time.
The space-based solar power market is projected for significant growth, according to a Fortune Business Insights report that sizes the global SSP market and tracks key drivers including rising energy demand from data centers, military resilience requirements, and government-funded R&D programs across the U.S., Europe, China, and Japan.
Orbysa profiled the future of space solar power innovations and military applications, exploring how defense agencies view SSP as a solution for powering remote bases and forward-deployed assets, and how dual-use technology development is accelerating timelines for both military and civilian deployment.
Experts and Advocates on SSP
Overview Energy CEO Marc Berté appeared on the Space Business Podcast to discuss the company's near-infrared laser approach to beaming power from orbit to existing solar farms, the path from demonstration to commercial service, and how the company sees SSP fitting into the broader energy transition.
