It’s been less than a year since DARPA broke the record for wireless power transmission, but Star Catcher has one-upped those metrics, claiming a new record in the process.
In less than eight months since debuting its power beaming technology, Star Catcher recently completed a series of optical power beaming tests at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to validate core technologies for its orbital energy grid, the Star Catcher Network. Using a suite of multi-wavelength lasers, the team delivered more than 1.1 kW of electrical power to commercial off-the-shelf solar panels at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility. The most recent record high was 800 watts set by DARPA in May 2025. Star Catcher delivered more than 10 megajoules of energy throughout the test campaign.
“Our existing Power Purchase Agreements confirm that the market understands both the value and scalability of our technology to revolutionize power delivery beyond Earth,” said Andrew Rush, CEO and Co-Founder of Star Catcher. “These real-world results offer definitive proof of the soundness and maturity of our approach to building a resilient orbital power grid.”
During the demonstration, Star Catcher delivered one to ten Suns of optical energy to multiple commercial off-the-shelf single- and triple-junction solar panels commonly used in space, confirming compatibility with standard spacecraft hardware, and validating the company’s approach to “supercharge” satellites with significantly more power via highly concentrated beams of light. Among them was an Astro Digital triple-junction solar panel — the same hardware used on the company’s satellite buses.
Following these successful tests, Star Catcher plans to launch its first on-orbit power beaming demonstration in 2026.
