Baiju Bhatt, billionaire co-founder of Robinhood, is stirring the pot once more—but this time, he’s stirring it far beyond Wall Street. Having already helped revolutionize retail investing, Bhatt is now fixated on something that sounds like it could have been written in a science fiction novel: harnessing solar power in space and beaming it back to Earth. His new venture, Aetherflux, is disrupting the energy and space tech sectors with a bold plan to create a power grid in the sky.
So why the jump from finance to outer space? Bhatt isn’t entirely unfamiliar with the universe. His dad had a job at NASA, and Bhatt has advanced degrees in physics and mathematics from Stanford. But aside from the personal touch, he believes he’s seizing a unique moment of opportunity. As he explains, “The thing that’s always been my interest is, how do you bring more capitalism to space?
” Commercial spaceflight becoming less expensive, clean energy ever more sought after, and new technologies going live on the grid, Bhatt thinks the time is ripe for space-based solar power to become a reality. Here’s the big idea. Traditional solar panels here on Earth only work when the sun’s out and the skies are clear. In space, satellites can collect solar energy nearly all day, every day, without clouds, nighttime, or atmospheric interference getting in the way. That energy could then be transmitted wirelessly—using either microwave or laser technology—back down to Earth.
It’s a vision that’s been in existence for decades, going back to the 1940s, but now only are the technologies beginning to catch up with the dream. Aetherflux is innovating an old notion. Instead of sending a few huge, expensive satellites into geostationary orbit, Bhatt’s group is going to launch thousands of little satellites into low Earth orbit. Each one will be equipped with solar panels, batteries, and a near-infrared laser to beam power back to Earth. “What we’re doing at Aetherflux is a different approach to space solar power,” Bhatt said.
“It is not your grandpa’s space solar power approach.” The idea is that while each satellite delivers just a little power, the combined effect of the whole network could generate gigawatts of clean electricity.
Naturally, the hurdles are gigantic. Taking solar energy and turning it into a laser beam, transmitting it through the atmosphere, and trapping it effectively on Earth—all while not breaking the bank—isn’t simple. NASA issued a report recently observing that space-based solar systems might still cost dozens of times more than terrestrial renewables. But Bhatt and his colleagues believe the economics are shifting quickly, with reusable rockets, lower-cost satellite parts, and improvements in laser technology. Aetherflux is accelerating quickly. The firm has raised $50 million in Series A capital, including $10 million from Bhatt himself. They’ve acquired a satellite bus from Apex Space and reserved a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 for a demonstration mission in 2026. That mission will take the critical components necessary to beam energy down to a ground station, such as the satellite’s telescope, laser, and targeting equipment, through its paces.
As stated by Aetherflux’s engineering head, Andrew Yarmola, “Aetherflux is applying lasers and optics to build a power grid in space for demand anywhere on Earth.”
The U.S. military is watching closely. The Department of Defense has already committed unspecified money to backing the project. They regard space-based solar as a revolution for military logistics and energy security. Bhatt himself tweeted that space solar may revolutionize operations by providing power in contested spaces, lowering risk to people, and saving money. The first ground stations will probably emerge on military bases, where security and regulated airspace make deployment easy. But this competition is not merely about national defense. China is also aggressively moving into the same territory, and it aims to send a kilometer-wide solar power station into space by 2030. The scope and ambition of the venture have been likened to the Manhattan Project.
As a former NASA official, David Steitz succinctly stated it, “Whoever dominates space solar power achieves not only energy independence but probable domination of a multi-trillion-dollar market that will characterize the next space operations era.”
Aetherflux’s long-term objective extends far beyond protection. The firm is eager to provide stable, low-cost clean power to towns and cities all over the world, particularly those that have blackouts, climate events, or poor infrastructure. “On a colossal scale,” Yarmola explained, “space solar power can offer inexpensive and almost continuous renewable energy, make the US energy dominant, stabilize our grid, discourage enemies, and assist in disasters.” Bhatt is taking a big gamble—both with his checkbook and his credibility—that this ambitious vision is within reach at last. The next few years will tell if Aetherflux can make science fiction science fact, or if beaming energy from space will forever remain a fantasy.
