The first “space-based energy grid” is under development by Star Catcher Industries, which has secured $12.25m (£9.55m) in an initial funding round.
Once constructed, the Star Catcher Network will be able to beam “significant levels” of broad-spectrum energy to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. According to the firm, the network will be able to deliver energy on demand and at higher concentrations than existing solar arrays on client spacecraft can provide.
The firm was founded by former Made in Space and Redwire leaders Andrew Rush and Michael Snyder, and has been responsible for replacing solar arrays on the International Space Station, alongside other projects.
The Star Catcher Network will allow satellites to generate between five to 10 times the amount of power they would generate otherwise, even without retrofitting, the firm said. This will allow satellite operators to expand the capabilities and uptime of their projects.
The demand for power-intensive applications in space has been growing rapidly in recent years. This need for energy includes space-based telecommunications, on-orbit computing, remote sensing, human spaceflight and national security applications.
Star Catcher said that LEO is projected to host more than 40,000 satellites by 2030 and believes this will require 840 megawatts of power generation to operate these systems, compared to the tens of megawatts of power generation capacity in space today.
“Power infrastructure is the foundational building block of civilisation and industry; our goal is to expand that foundation into LEO and beyond with our in-space power grid and service,” Rush said. “Being able to buy power for your spacecraft whenever and wherever you need it in LEO will expand opportunity and accelerate humanity realising the potential of the second golden age of space.”
Star Catcher said it has already made “significant technical progress” in developing its constellation and has secured more than half a dozen letters of intent from commercial space companies.
Andrew Sather, principal at investors Initialized Capital, said: “We’re confident Star Catcher will do for orbital power what SpaceX has done for launch. They’re a proven, veteran commercial space team executing on an audacious vision at high speed. What they’re building has the potential to transform the economics, capabilities and even configuration of almost everything we put into orbit.”
Source: E&T
