Aetherflux, the area photo voltaic startup based by Baiju Bhatt, the billionaire co-founder of Robinhood, has raised $50 million in a Collection A spherical as it really works to launch its first low Earth orbit demonstration in 2026.
The San Carlos, California-based startup, which got here out of stealth final October, goals to ultimately launch a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites that may gather and transmit photo voltaic vitality on to “floor stations” on Earth. It’s an concept that was initially triggered by Isaac Asimov’s 1941 brief story “Purpose.” Bhatt is concentrated on turning this science fiction-inspired idea into actuality.
However first, Aetherflux must get a satellite tv for pc to orbit to show out the tech, to “show that we now have made this transformative progress of going from people not having energy from area to, for the very first time, there being energy from area for people,” Bhatt, the startup’s founder and CEO, informed TechCrunch.
At the very least, that’s the purpose with subsequent 12 months’s launch, which can be supported by the contemporary capital Aetherflux has raised. The spherical brings Aetherflux’s complete funding to $60 million after Bhatt invested $10 million of his personal funds into the corporate. The Collection A spherical was led by Index Ventures and Interlagos, with participation from Invoice Gates’s Breakthrough Vitality Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and NEA, in addition to another fascinating names like Jared Leto rounding it out.
Bhatt, who joined us on the TechCrunch Fairness podcast earlier this 12 months, informed TechCrunch that Aetherflux will use the funds to rent extra engineers and spend money on the know-how and infrastructure wanted for its first a number of missions.
“Our crew is primarily centered proper now on constructing the payload that sits on high of the bus … that takes all the ability that the satellite tv for pc bus generates and turns it into laser energy,” Bhatt mentioned.
Aetherflux is utilizing Apex Area’s Aries satellite tv for pc bus. A satellite tv for pc bus is the core construction and system of a satellite tv for pc that gives important capabilities for its operation, like energy, propulsion, and communications. Most buses generate energy by way of photo voltaic panels, and Bhatt says that energy — as a lot as a kilowatt of vitality — can be despatched again to Earth through lasers.
On the receiving finish can be Aetherflux’s “floor stations,” made up of photovoltaic arrays that convert daylight to vitality that’s saved in batteries for later use. Bhatt mentioned his crew, which is made up of engineers and researchers from NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Anduril, and the U.S. Navy, can also be engaged on constructing out Aetherflux’s first floor station. The startup doesn’t have a location for the station but, but it surely’s evaluating army websites the place there’s extra managed air area.
Sooner or later, Bhatt says the purpose is to construct small, moveable floor stations — anyplace from 5 to 10 meters in diameter — to convey electrical energy to even essentially the most distant places.
“The factor we need to show [with the first mission] is the end-to-end energy linking,” Bhatt mentioned. “We wish to have the ability to show that we even have electrical energy on the bottom and use that to gentle up a light-weight set up or do some digital stuff on the bottom.”
Few have achieved the feat of sending solar energy from area to Earth. One of many solely profitable missions was in 2023 when researchers at Caltech’s Area Photo voltaic Energy Venture demonstrated wi-fi energy switch from low Earth orbit utilizing microwave beaming. That proved the idea however falls in need of Aetherflux’s pitch for a scalable, business system.
Aetherflux’s increase comes off the again of an award from the Division of Protection’s Operational Vitality Functionality Enchancment Fund to develop area solar energy for the U.S. army.
