United States-based space solar startup Overview Energy has announced its emergence from stealth mode to work on the next phase of commercialization.
Based in Ashburn, Virginia, the company was founded in 2022 and makes satellites that collect solar energy 24/7 in geosynchronous orbit and beam it back to receivers on Earth. The satellites transmit the sunlight as safe, low-intensity near-infrared light, using wavelengths already proven in fiber-optic networks, medical imaging, and security cameras.
Overview has now emerged from stealth mode following the successful transmission of power from a moving aircraft to a ground receiver situated five kilometers (three miles) below.
The transmission demonstration test’s success proved that Overview Energy’s power beaming system works in motion, which the company claims is a world first for high-power wireless energy transmission.
“Imagine sunlight collected 36,000 kilometers above Earth, then arriving as clean energy wherever the grid needs it,” said Marc Berte, Founder and CEO of Overview Energy. “That’s what we’re making real. Our airborne milestone proved that the core transmission system works in motion – the same foundation that will operate in orbit. Space solar energy will only matter when it powers real demand on Earth, and we’re designing for that scale from day one.”
Overview Energy’s method works is now gearing up for a low Earth orbit demonstration in 2028, to prove end-to-end functionality from space. Commercial operations in geosynchronous orbit are to begin with what the company claims will be the world’s first megawatt transmission from space in 2030.
Eventually, a single Overview satellite cluster will serve multiple continents, and the system will be able to shift power delivery based on demand.
The company has spent the past few years designing its system to meet the requirements of real-world deployment, including technical, safety, economic and regulatory standards. It has already validated its laser and optics system at thousands of watts in the laboratory. The successful airborne transmission demonstration was the startup’s second major milestone on the path to delivering grid-scale energy from space, providing the impetus for it to exit stealth mode.
Overview Energy has raised $20 million to date, and counts Engine Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Prime Movers Lab, EQT Foundation, Earthrise Ventures, and Aurelia Institute among its backers.
Reed Sturtevant, General Partner at Engine Ventures said, “Their space solar energy approach isn’t just technically ambitious; it’s designed with real-world deployment in mind from the get-go.”
“Overview Energy is building a key pillar for our growing energy demand, one that can dynamically allocate energy where it is the most valuable and scale without the constraints of ground-based generation and transmission,” Sturtevant added.
The company also claims it does not require additional land for its receivers, using existing and future solar plants as receivers.
Overview Energy is operating in a niche, but competitive field in space solar. Other companies innovating in this sector include Space Solar, Eternal Sun and Extraterrestrial Power.
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