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2d ago

Star Catcher Raises $65 Million to Build an Orbital Power-Beaming Grid

The funding positions the startup to prove a service that could lift the power limits that cap many satellite missions.

An artist's render of Star Catcher's space-based power grid.
Star Catcher intends to develop a network of satellites that serves as an orbital power grid, beaming sunlight to other spacecraft's solar panels.
A Florida startup just raised $65 million to beam concentrated sunlight at satellites — and the customers who already signed $60 million in contracts aren't who you'd expect

Overview

  • Star Catcher, which closed a $65 million Series A on Tuesday, says the cash will fund its first in-space optical power-beaming demo later this year.
  • The round brings total funding to $88 million and adds retired U.S. Space Force Gen. Jay Raymond to the board alongside investor representatives Jeff Johnson and David Rothzeid.
  • The company reports seven power purchase deals and other contracts worth $60 million, with a prospective pipeline it values at about $3 billion.
  • The service aims to beam concentrated sunlight or laser light to a client satellite’s existing solar panels to boost output, following ground tests at a football stadium and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center runway and a 2025 on-orbit tracking software trial with Loft Orbital.
  • Early targets include orbital data centers, direct-to-device communications satellites, and radar imaging fleets, though claims of up to 10x more power with no hardware retrofit remain company statements pending orbital validation in 2026.