SBSP Company Reports List

Founded in 2022 by co-CEOs Sam Adlen and Martin Soltau and CTO David Homfray, Space Solar plans to create a network of large satellites capable of beaming power to ground stations anywhere on Earth. Based in the UK, but seeking to work with international partners such as the US, Space Solar aims to augment the transition to a clean energy economy by supplying power to ground rectennas from space. Their unique architecture uses a satellite called CASSIOPeiA, designed by Space Solar’s Chief Architect Ian Cash, to transmit RF beams to a ground rectenna, allowing for 24/7 baseload power transmission to multiple locations worldwide.

Founded in 2019 in Troy, Michigan by CEO John Bucknell, Virtus Solis aims to create a large array of solar satellites in orbit to collect and beam power to Earth. The company’s approach centers on modular, scalable construction and cost-efficient deployment, designed to accelerate commercialization of space-based solar power. Virtus Solis initially entered the energy sector through a grid resilience grant, allowing it to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and develop its power electronics before transitioning to orbital applications. It is the first private institution to receive DOE funding for space solar work.

Founded in 2021 in Hawthorne, California by CEO Ben Nowack and CTO Tristan Semmelhack, Reflect Orbital aims to build a constellation of satellites that reflect sunlight onto the Earth’s surface at night. Using a fleet of approximately 4,000 reflector satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Reflect Orbital offers “sunlight on demand” anywhere on Earth. With applications ranging from emergency lighting to enabling nighttime solar power generation, their model brings the world a step closer to achieving net zero. They have received broad investor support, completing a $20 million Series A in May of 2025.

Founded by Andrew Rush in 2024 in Jacksonville, FL, Star Catcher Industries, Inc. (Star Catcher) has a unique goal: building an energy grid in space. By deploying a constellation of 200 small satellites capable of transmitting power anywhere in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the company aims to address the growing gap between supply and demand for energy in orbit. Although they use power beaming like traditional space-based solar power (SBSP) systems, their one-of-a-kind architecture—limited entirely to space-to-space power beaming—places Star Catcher in a category of its own.

Emerging from stealth in October 2024, Aetherflux was founded by Baiju Bhatt, cofounder of Robinhood, in San Carlos, CA. Aetherflux is building a space-based wireless power transmission grid and a network of in-space data centers. They plan to deploy a constellation of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that beam energy via optical lasers to portable ground receivers for secure, low-cost energy distribution. While the company ultimately aims to supply power to a broad range of commercial markets, it initially focuses on high-value, remote applications such as military operations. Simultaneously, they are developing the “Galactic Brain,” a data center designed to bypass Earth-based energy bottlenecks.

Co-founded in 2020 in Montreal, Canada by CEO Justin Zipkin and CTO Paolo Pino, Volta Space Technologies—originally Eternal Light Photonics Corp.—aims to build the LightGrid, a space-based energy grid for the moon. Through their wholly owned U.S.-based subsidiary, Volta Space Technologies US, led by COO Paul Damphousse, they are rapidly expanding their U.S. footprint. With offices in Broomfield, CO, and Washington, D.C., and a cooperative program with the DOD, the U.S. subsidiary is expected to soon match the size of their Canadian operations. Volta’s long-term vision is to establish the first power utility on the moon through optical wireless power transmission, initially focusing on the immediate challenges of lunar night survival and operations in permanently shadowed regions.