Aetherflux Bets on Laser-Powered Space Solar to Transform Energy and Defence
- Baiju Bhatt’s Aetherflux is developing satellites to beam solar power via lasers from space to Earth, starting with defence applications.
- The company has raised $60M and plans a demonstration satellite launch in 2026.
- If successful, Aetherflux could provide clean, reliable energy anywhere on Earth, revolutionising both national security and renewable power.
Baiju Bhatt, best known as Robinhood’s co-founder, is now taking on one of the most ambitious challenges in energy: transmitting solar power from space to Earth.
His new company, Aetherflux, has raised $60 million—including $10 million of Bhatt’s own money and a $50 million round led by Index Ventures and Breakthrough Energy Ventures—to pioneer a laser-based space solar power system.
Unlike traditional concepts that rely on massive, costly satellites and microwave transmission, Aetherflux’s approach is nimble: small satellites collect solar energy and convert it into focused infrared laser beams, which are then transmitted to compact receivers on Earth.
These receivers convert the laser energy into electricity, offering a continuous, reliable power source—day or night, regardless of weather.
Aetherflux’s first demonstration satellite is set to launch in June 2026, with initial applications focused on national defence.
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The U.S. Department of Defence is backing the project, recognising its potential to deliver energy to remote or contested locations without vulnerable supply chains.
The technology could eventually provide emergency power during disasters and reliable electricity to areas lacking infrastructure.
Bhatt’s team includes veterans from NASA, SpaceX, and national labs, and the company is working closely with DARPA. If successful, Aetherflux could do for energy what GPS did for navigation—turning a military breakthrough into a global utility.
While technical and economic hurdles remain, Bhatt’s outsider perspective and rapid, hardware-rich development strategy could finally bring space-based solar power from science fiction to reality.
Edited by Annette George
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