Billionaire Launches Aetherflux
Aetherflux, a new startup founded by Baiju Bhatt, aims to make space-based solar power a reality. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on large, expensive satellites in geostationary orbit, Aetherflux plans to deploy thousands of smaller satellites in low Earth orbit. Each will be equipped with a solar array, battery, and infrared laser to beam power back to Earth.
While space-based solar is still theoretical, Aetherflux aims to prove it with a demonstration mission by 2026. Bhatt, a co-founder of Robinhood, has invested millions of his own capital into the project. If successful, the system could one day provide enough energy to power small neighborhoods.