Successful Test Marks a Major Milestone Toward Building the First In-Space Energy Grid for Satellites
On Friday, March 21, 2025, Star Catcher Industries, Inc. (“Star Catcher”), a leader in space-to-space power beaming, successfully conducted the first-ever demonstration of its space-based power beaming technology. This achievement represents a significant step towards establishing an in-space energy grid to alleviate power constraints faced by satellites. The demonstration took place at EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, validating the core technology that will address the growing gap between supply and demand in on-orbit power generation.
During the demonstration, Star Catcher's proprietary energy transmission system effectively collected and transmitted concentrated solar energy over 100 meters to multiple off-the-shelf satellite solar arrays, proving the feasibility of the company’s technology under real-world conditions. Beaming power to standard satellite solar panels illustrates a key advantage of Star Catcher’s system – its ability to integrate with existing spacecraft without requiring retrofits or custom receivers. This breakthrough confirms a fundamental capability needed to develop the Star Catcher Network, a planned space-based energy grid designed to provide continuous, on-demand power to satellites and space stations.
"This demonstration marks the first comprehensive test of our space power beaming technology, demonstrating our ability to collect and wirelessly transmit energy with the precision required for space applications," said Andrew Rush, Co-Founder and CEO of Star Catcher. "Today's success brings us closer to eliminating power constraints in space and unlocking new capabilities for satellites and their customers."
Scaling Up: The Next Phase
While this demonstration successfully beamed power the length of a football field, Star Catcher is already preparing for its first large-scale test this summer at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) – historically known as the site of Space Shuttle landings until 2011. This forthcoming demonstration will significantly build upon today’s success, showcasing wireless power transmission of hundreds of watts over more than one kilometer, while simultaneously powering multiple mock satellites.
The EverBank Stadium demonstration builds on Star Catcher’s rapid progress in developing space-to-space power beaming solutions. Recently, the company secured a $12.25 million seed round, co-led by Initialized Capital and B Capital, and was awarded an AFWERX SBIR Phase 1 contract to advance space-based energy transmission capabilities.
A Jacksonville-Based Innovation
As a Jacksonville-based enterprise, Star Catcher’s founders have established multiple successful space ventures in the region. Hosting this initial system-level demonstration of space power beaming at EverBank Stadium, in collaboration with the Jacksonville Jaguars, underscores the company’s commitment to innovation and community engagement. The event also offered local students a unique opportunity to witness cutting-edge space technology being developed in their vicinity, providing them with firsthand exposure to the future of in-space energy solutions.
About Star Catcher
Star Catcher is pioneering the first space energy grid – the Star Catcher Network – designed to eliminate power constraints for satellites and other spacecraft. This revolutionary space-to-space power beaming infrastructure will deliver concentrated solar energy to existing solar panels without requiring retrofits, enabling satellites to support more power-intensive payloads, extend operational uptime, perform real-time data processing, and execute more complex missions, all while reducing upfront costs associated with larger satellite buses and solar arrays. Star Catcher was founded in 2024 by experienced space entrepreneurs Andrew Rush and Michael Snyder, along with venture capitalist and operator Bryan Lyandvert. The company raised a $12.25 million seed round in July 2024, co-led by Initialized Capital and B Capital.
