Baiju Bhatt, the billionaire co-founder of Robinhood, is betting big on beaming solar power from space. His latest venture, Aetherflux, has secured $50 million in Series A funding. To build and launch its first satellite that can collect solar energy in orbit and transmit it back to Earth. The goal? To make space-based solar power a reality — not just science fiction.
Bhatt, who founded Aetherflux in San Carlos, California, launched the startup out of stealth mode in late 2023. Inspired by a 1941 short story by Isaac Asimov, Bhatt is turning that futuristic concept into a working business model. The company’s vision involves deploying a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites that collect solar power and beam it down to Earth-based “ground stations” using lasers.
The newly raised capital brings Aetherflux’s total funding to $60 million, including a $10 million personal investment from Bhatt himself. The round was led by Index Ventures and Interlagos, with major backing from Breakthrough Energy Ventures (founded by Bill Gates), Andreessen Horowitz, and NEA. Even actor Jared Leto joined in as an investor.
Aetherflux plans to launch its first orbital demonstration mission in 2026, and this fresh funding will help it get there. Bhatt says the funds will go toward hiring top engineering talent. And building the specialized technology required to power up its space-to-Earth transmission system.
At the heart of Aetherflux’s innovation is its laser-based energy transfer system. The startup is developing a payload that converts solar energy gathered by the satellite’s bus into laser beams aimed at Earth. To support the mission, Aetherflux is working with Apex Space, using its Aries satellite bus. A core platform that supplies essential systems like propulsion, power generation, and communications.
Bhatt says the satellite will be capable of generating up to a kilowatt of power. Which will be transmitted to Earth in the form of laser energy. On the ground, custom-built receiving stations. Essentially photovoltaic arrays — will capture the laser beams, convert them into electricity. And store the energy in batteries for future use.
While the startup is still finalizing a site for its first ground station, it’s eyeing military bases with controlled airspace as ideal candidates for early testing. Long-term, Aetherflux plans to deploy portable ground stations ranging from 5 to 10 meters in diameter. Capable of delivering clean energy to remote or off-grid locations.
“The first mission is all about end-to-end power linking,” Bhatt explained. “We want to prove we can capture energy in space, transmit it to Earth, and use that electricity to power something real — whether it’s lighting an installation or operating electronics.”
While the concept of wireless space-to-Earth energy transfer might sound like science fiction, it’s inching closer to reality. In 2023, Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project successfully demonstrated microwave-based energy transfer from orbit, showing that the technology works. But Aetherflux aims to scale the concept commercially, using laser transmission for more efficient, precise, and portable energy delivery.
The startup’s momentum also follows a major win from the Department of Defense, which recently awarded Aetherflux funding through its Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund to explore the military potential of space-based solar systems. This could open new doors for deploying energy in remote or conflict-prone areas without relying on traditional fuel supply chains.
Aetherflux’s 12-person team brings deep aerospace and defense experience, with engineers and researchers hailing from NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Anduril, and the U.S. Navy. With this mix of technical talent and strategic funding, Bhatt hopes to turn what was once a sci-fi fantasy into a global power solution.
If Aetherflux pulls it off, the implications are massive — a clean, limitless power source, beamed from space, with real-world applications in disaster zones, military operations, and energy-poor regions across the globe.
