Why DoD, Silicon Valley now are betting on solar power beaming sats

The Pentagon and Silicon Valley funders are taking a more serious look at space-based solar power, a concept that has been around since Isaac Asimov's 1941 short story "Reason." The technology could in theory fuel far-flung military bases without the need for vulnerable fuel-supply convoys and make possible "gas stations" for spacecraft. The Pentagon's renewed interest is being buoyed by recent research and the war on Iran, which showed how adversaries can easily target Earth-based fuel logistics. The Air Force has contracted Virginia-based startup Overview Energy for a year-long study on use cases for space-based solar power in "constrained and contested logistics environments." The company is analyzing three scenarios: powering installations in potential conflict zones like Guam, powering installations in areas with constrained logistics like Alaska or Greenland, and rapidly restoring power to places that have lost electricity. Overview has also inked an agreement with Meta for an on-orbit demonstration in 2028, with the goal of beginning commercial power delivery in 2030. Google and SpaceX are also funding their own space-based solar power projects.