How US firm plans to beam solar power from orbit after world-first aircraft laser test
In late November, a Cessna turboprop aircraft flying at an altitude of 5,000 meters performed an impressive world-first demonstration.
Flying over Pennsylvania, the small airplane wirelessly beamed power down to receivers on the ground. The flight test marked the first time a moving aircraft has beamed power down to Earth. If all goes to plan, it will pave the way for satellites beaming 24/7 energy down from space.
Virginia-based startup Overview Energy performed the impressive achievement before coming out of stealth mode in December.
A new space-based solar power concept
The goal of Overview’s November flight test was to demonstrate the feasibility of beaming power from space. The startup aims to launch satellites into geosynchronous orbit (GEO). From their high vantage point of roughly 22,000 miles (approx. 35,400 km), they would be positioned in sunlight 24/7. Using infrared laser beams, the satellites would transfer this abundant energy down to existing solar panels on Earth.
Unlike other space-based solar power concepts, Overview aims to utilize existing solar infrastructure on Earth. Previous initiatives have largely focused on beaming energy down using radio waves. This would require a large receiving ground station, which would increase infrastructure costs.
By beaming energy to existing solar farms with laser beams, Overview eliminates the need for additional infrastructure. What’s more, it’s a win-win, as solar farms can harvest Overview’s laser energy at night, when their solar farms would otherwise collect no energy. The startup also says its approach would allow it to transmit power via lower-density beams, making it safer than radio wave alternatives.
Overview isn’t the only organization looking into space-based solar power. In May 2025, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) set a new record for wirelessly transmitting power when it transferred 800 watts over 8.6 kilometers for 30 seconds via laser beam. In November, Overview went a step further than DARPA by beaming energy from a moving platform.
Overview Energy’s ambitious roadmap
Though Overview’s flight test didn’t transfer a huge amount of power, it successfully beamed power to a receiver using the components the company aims to attach to space satellites.
“Not only is it the first optical power beaming from a moving platform at any substantial range or power, but also it’s the first time anyone’s really done a power beaming thing where it’s all of the functional pieces all working together,” Overview CEO Marc Berte said, according to a report from IEEE Spectrum. “It’s the same methodology and function that we will take to space and scale up in the long term.”
According to Berte, the next step for Overview is a prototype demonstrator for low Earth orbit by 2028. If this is successful, the company would then aim to lift GEO satellites to space, with the goal of beaming energy to Earth by 2030. The firm has raised $20 million so far, with investors including the Aurelia Institute, Earthrise Ventures, and Engine Ventures.