ATERFLUX, the Space Solar Startup, founded by Baiju Bhatt, the billionaire co-founder of Robinhood, has picked up $ 50 million in a series A-round while it works to launch its first low earth bit demonstration in 2026.
The startup in San Carlos, California, which came from Stealth last October, is meant to eventually launch a constellation of low earth-job satellites that can collect and convey solar energy directly to “ground stations” on earth. It is an idea that was initially activated by Isaac Asimov’s short story ‘Reason’ from 1941. Bhatt is aimed at converting this science fiction-inspired concept in reality.
But first Aetherflux must be given a satellite to have the technology prove, to show that we have made this transforming progress from going to people who have no power from space to, for the first time, there is strength from the space for people, “Bhatt, the founder of the startup, the founder and CEO of the startup, to Techcrunch.
At least, that is the goal with next year’s launch, which will be supported by the Fresh Capital Atherflux. De Ronde brings the total financing from Atherflux to $ 60 million after Bhatt has invested $ 10 million of his own funds in the company. The series A round was led by index ventures and interlagos, with the participation of Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Nea, as well as some other interesting names such as Jared Leto who finish it.
Bhatt, who came to us at the Techcrunch Equity Podcast earlier this year, JS told that Atherflux will use the funds to hire more engineers and invest in the technology and infrastructure that is needed for the first different missions.
“Our team is now mainly focused on building the load on top of the bus … that takes all the power that the satellite bus generates and turns it into laser power,” Bhatt said.
ATERFLUX uses the Satellite bus from Apex Space. A satellite bus is the core structure and the system of a satellite that offers essential functions for their effect, such as strength, propulsion and communication. Most buses generate strength through solar panels and Bhatt says that power – as much as a kilowatt energy – will be sent back to earth via lasers.
At the receiving end are the ‘ground stations’ of Aetrflux, consisting of photovoltaic arrays that convert sunlight into energy stored in batteries for later use. Bhatt said that his team, which consists of engineers and researchers from NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Anduril and the American Navy, is also working on building the first ground station of Aetherflux. The startup does not yet have a location for the station, but the evaluation of military locations where there is more controlled air space.
In the future, Bhatt says that the goal is to build small, portable ground stations – from 5 to 10 meters in diameter – to bring electricity to even the most remote locations.
“The thing we want to demonstrate [with the first mission] Is the end-to-end power coupling, “said Bhatt.” We want to be able to demonstrate that we actually have electricity on the ground and use it to relieve a light installation or put some electronic stuff on the ground. ”
Few have completed the performance to send solar energy from space to earth. One of the only successful missions was in 2023 when researchers of Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project Demonstred wireless wealth transfer of low Earth track using microwave rays. The concept proved that, but falls short of the pitch of Aetherflux for a scalable, commercial system.
Atherflux’s Rais comes from the back of one price From the operational energy improvement fund of the Ministry of Defense to develop the solar energy in the space for the US Army.
