PASADENA, Calif. - As part of the ongoing search for more sustainable energy solutions, some researchers are thinking outside the box—or globe, really. One team in California is proposing a new transmitter array system that could help harvest energy directly from space. Through prototype tests on smaller, Earthly scales, they demonstrate how their proposed system can more than double the amount of power transferred between power harvesters and receivers, or extend their range by a similar factor, Michelle Hampson writes for IEEE Spectrum. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
24 February 2025 - Scientists are exploring space-based solar power, where energy is collected in space and beamed to Earth. A key challenge is efficiently transmitting power across vast distances. To improve this, Caltech professor Ali Hajimiri and his team propose an intermediate relay system using programmable transmit arrays orbiting Earth. These arrays would refocus and direct the power beam, increasing efficiency and allowing for smaller transmitters and receivers.
Their study, published in the IEEE Journal of Microwaves, demonstrated that this approach could transfer 2.5 times more power than a direct space-to-Earth beam. While adding cost, the relay system could improve overall energy yield and feasibility. The researchers plan to develop larger, programmable transmit arrays and test them in space, aiming to advance the potential of space-based power transmission.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
