Star Catcher Awarded AFWERX SBIR Phase 1 to Advance Space-to-Space Power Beaming

Feb 13, 2025, 10:00 ET

Star Catcher Industries, Inc. has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase 1 to advance space-to-space power beaming for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft enhancement. The Department of the Air Force has a vital and urgent need to increase satellite power capabilities to meet real-time requirements and match mounting threats from near-peer adversaries like China and Russia. The goal of this effort is to validate Star Catcher's core space-to-space power beaming technologies and enhance them for military readiness. 

Star Catcher is building the first space energy grid – the Star Catcher Network – in order to address the power limitations currently seen in space assets. Once constructed, the Star Catcher Network will beam significant levels of broad spectrum energy to spacecraft in LEO and beyond. The network will deliver on-demand energy to existing solar arrays on client spacecraft at higher concentrations than the Sun, enabling them to generate up to five to ten times more power without retrofit. This increase in power will enable satellites to support more power-hungry payloads, extend operational uptime, perform real-time data processing, and execute more complex missions, all while reducing complexity and upfront costs related to larger satellite buses and solar arrays.

Air Force Supports Development of First Space Energy Grid to Enhance Spacecraft Capabilities

"This contract marks a significant step toward realizing our vision of a space energy grid," says Andrew Rush, CEO of Star Catcher. "Space-to-space power beaming is key infrastructure that will fundamentally change how spacecraft access power, enhancing operational capabilities and resilience for both defense and commercial applications."

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.