Aetherflux готовит к запуску космические солнечные фермы для доставки энергии лазерами на Землю Translation: Aetherflux is preparing to launch space solar farms for delivering energy to Earth via lasers.

The California-based startup Aetherflux has scheduled the launch of mini solar farms in the form of low-orbit satellites for 2026, aiming to transmit energy from space to Earth using lasers. This was reported by CNBC.

The technology will be deployed using SpaceX rockets.

«We plan to create a constellation of satellites, each transmitting energy through infrared lasers. The advantage is that, firstly, the energy generation is distributed among numerous spacecraft rather than centralized in one massive unit. Secondly, the ground receiver that collects the energy can be made small,» stated the company’s CEO and Robinhood co-founder, Baiju Bhatt.

Electricity will be gathered in space and transmitted to Earth via lasers to a network of small stations. The presence of multiple receivers enhances system efficiency.

«One satellite can send energy to a single point on Earth, and then, continuing its orbit, switch to another station to transmit there,» Bhatt explained.

Aetherflux is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense. The head of the company emphasized that this technology addresses the challenge of energy delivery on the battlefield, where convoys with diesel generators become targets for the enemy.

Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures has backed the project, with investments from Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and New Enterprise Associates. The total funds raised amount to $60 million.

«We believe the military client is sufficiently large and, to put it mildly, complex. If we can meet their needs, we will build a satellite constellation and go for scale. At that point, the cost of the technology will decrease, and we will expand into other markets,» said Cristian Garcia, managing partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Bhatt noted that the technology remains expensive at its current stage. The main goal now is to make it competitive against other energy sources. Key factors will be reducing launch costs and improving components.

As more satellites with new versions of the technology are launched into orbit, production costs will decline.

Among Aetherflux’s competitors are Cal-Tech, Virtus Solis, and the British company Space Solar. Earlier this year, China announced plans to build a solar station in space that would be a kilometer wide and continuously transmit energy to Earth via microwaves.

Additionally, in May, China sent 12 satellites into space as part of an initiative to establish a network of orbital supercomputers.