Star Catcher to Test Space-Based Solar Power on SpaceX Launch

Star Catcher, a Jacksonville, Florida-based startup, is preparing to launch its prototype system aboard a SpaceX rocket this week. The mission aims to transmit energy to another untethered satellite in orbit. If successful, it would be the first time lasers have beamed energy between two untethered objects in space.

The satellite, called Protostar, will test the company's approach to space-based solar power. The idea of generating solar power in space dates back decades, appearing in a 1941 sci-fi piece by Isaac Asimov, and NASA studied it in the 1970s.

Star Catcher has raised $65 million this year and won a $30 million award from the US Space Force. The company has signed 40 letters of intent from prospective buyers and 10 power purchase agreements. Last year, it set a record for beaming power on the ground, delivering more than 1 kilowatt to off-the-shelf solar panels.

Google's first attempt at a space-based data center is also launching on the same SpaceX mission. Previous space laser experiments include a 2023 Naval Research Laboratory test that operated for 100 days with a beam traveling less than 5 feet and 11 percent efficiency.