Harnessing the Sun’s power extends beyond stationary solar panels.

In a groundbreaking experiment conducted last year, a collaborative effort involving the California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) Space Solar Power Project (SSPP), Indie Semiconductor, Inc., NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Amazon Web Services, and the Caltech spinoff startup GuRu Wireless, successfully captured solar power using an orbiting satellite.

The results of this experiment have been outlined in a recently shared paper on arXiv.

The project, known as the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), was developed to explore three experimental technologies, including space solar power.

While solar panels on Earth are affected by weather conditions and nighttime darkness, orbiting solar panels can operate at night, provided they maintain contact with the Sun’s rays.

The challenge lies in establishing a reliable method to transmit the collected energy back to Earth for use in powering homes, businesses, and various public resources.

The Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE) embodies the concept behind SSPD-1, constituting one of its three integral technologies, Extreme Tech reported.

Housed within a 6U CubeSat chassis, MAPLE plays a crucial role by converting solar power collected by SSPD-1’s solar cells into radio frequency (RF) power through rectifying antenna arrays.

Custom 16-channel silicon radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) then synthesize an RF power beam for transmission to Earth.

A tracking apparatus on the roof of Caltech’s Moore Laboratory monitors MAPLE’s position, while an RF receiver captures incoming energy and transforms it into direct current (DC) energy.

Launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) on January 3, 2023, via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, SSPD-1 initiated experiments with MAPLE beaming energy to Caltech exactly two months later.

The SSPP’s preprint paper, pending peer review, notes slight power degradation toward the end of each attempt, but the experiment proved successful over its 10-month duration.

The long-term vision of the SSPP involves establishing a constellation of SPPD-1-type satellites capable of transmitting sufficient power to meet the energy needs of 10,000 homes.

Written by B.C. Begley