Earth receives energy from satellite for first time

The futuristic idea of ​​sending solar energy to Earth is now a reality. Since June last year, the space probe has sent energy to Earth through the solar panels of an orbiting satellite.

Through its MAPLE experiment (Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment), the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD) has demonstrated that it can transmit energy in space and from space to Earth. This is the first time that solar energy has been transmitted from orbit and may be the first step towards a solar power plant in space.

First launched in January 2023, the device is capable of transmitting about 100 milliwatts worth of energy into space after two months, and can be easily refocused to send the beam in any direction. In the experiment to send energy to Earth, the power that reached our planet was approximately 1 milliwatt and was carried out three times over eight months.

Vast potential for the future

The idea is to build a fleet of one-kilometer-sized modular spacecraft that can transmit enough energy to power 10,000 homes. Individual satellites, 1 cubic meter in size, are positioned in a flat square of 50 meters on each side with solar cells on one side and microwave transmitters on the other.

Because MAPLE can emit energy in any direction, it can directly transmit energy and power to a remote location or during an emergency, as it does not require a transmission infrastructure.

“Just as the Internet has democratized access to information, we believe wireless energy transfer will democratize access to energy,” SSPP senior researcher and co-director Ali Hajimiri said last year.

“Receiving this energy requires no electricity transmission infrastructure on land. “This means that energy can be sent to remote areas and areas devastated by war or natural disasters.”

SSPD has other components that will be tested in conjunction with MAPLE: DOLCE (Deployable on-Orbit ultraLight Composite Experiment), which tests the deployment structure of the spacecraft, and ALBA, which tests the best type of photovoltaic cells. Their results are not yet published, but they are important components of SSPD.