US firm aims to shoot lasers from satellites to power solar farms

Overview Energy, a US startup founded in 2022, has unveiled plans to harvest solar energy from geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites approximately 22,000 miles above Earth. The company aims to use large solar arrays in GEO to capture sunlight continuously and then transmit this energy via infrared lasers to terrestrial solar farms at night, enabling 24/7 power generation. Overview has already demonstrated its laser power transmission technology in an airborne test, successfully beaming energy from a moving aircraft to a ground receiver about 3 miles away. The firm has raised $20 million to date, focusing on validating its laser and optics system and conducting this airborne demonstration. It plans a low Earth orbit (LEO) demonstration by 2028 and hopes to commence commercial megawatt-scale transmissions from space by 2030. Overview Energy is part of a growing field of companies pursuing space-based solar power, alongside competitors like Aetherflux and Star Catcher. While space-based solar power benefits from reduced launch costs