Defense Innovation Unit seeks commercial path to deliver electrical power from orbit
WASHINGTON — The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking commercial proposals to beam electrical power between spacecraft and from orbit to the ground in a demonstration within two years, an effort to move a long-studied technology toward operational military use by the end of the decade.
The Defense Innovation Unit, or DIU, is asking companies to submit proposals by July 22 for systems that could transmit power to satellites in low Earth orbit or to receivers on the ground. DIU is a Pentagon organization that helps the military adopt commercially developed technologies through faster and more flexible contracting.
Companies selected for the project would be expected to complete a laboratory demonstration within 12 months of receiving an award. The government would then assess whether the technology is ready for an on-orbit prototype demonstration within 24 months.
The Pentagon wants access to an operational space power-beaming capability by fiscal 2030. It hasn’t decided whether the government would buy and operate the system or purchase power from a commercial provider as a service.
Power beaming transmits electrical energy to a receiver through a directed beam of electromagnetic radiation.
The technology could allow spacecraft to operate for longer periods or support more power-intensive payloads without relying exclusively on their own solar arrays and batteries. On the ground, it could supply military units, autonomous systems and other equipment in locations where fuel deliveries or electrical infrastructure are difficult to maintain.
DIU describes space power beaming as a potential “multi-orbit utility” that could eventually transmit energy to low, medium and geosynchronous Earth orbit, destinations beyond GEO and receivers on Earth.
The project is divided into four areas.
The first covers systems that transmit power to other spacecraft, while the second focuses on systems that beam energy from orbit to terrestrial receivers. The remaining areas cover receivers that capture and convert the energy and components that could make future transmitters and receivers smaller, lighter or easier to manufacture.
DIU said the space-to-space and space-to-ground transmission systems are its main priorities.
The agency is favoring technology that can be fielded quickly and incorporated into orbital demonstrations companies are already planning.
The solicitation is open to U.S. and international companies. It is being conducted through DIU’s Commercial Solutions Opening process, which uses the Pentagon’s Other Transaction authority to award prototype agreements more quickly than under conventional federal procurements.
To qualify for an Other Transaction agreement, a project generally must include meaningful participation by a nontraditional defense contractor, involve only small businesses or nontraditional companies, or have nongovernment participants cover a portion of the prototype’s cost.
A successful prototype could lead directly to a larger production contract. DIU said any resulting capability could be purchased by multiple organizations across the Defense Department.
The solicitation comes as commercial startups and defense contractors are investing in power-beaming technology for military and civilian applications, giving DIU a broader pool of potential suppliers than existed just a few years ago.
