Inter-satellite power
Power transfer between spacecraft, including power-assist concepts for small satellites and operations through eclipse periods.
Future applications
Laser power beyond Earth
Our long-term research explores optical power links between spacecraft and to lunar assets beyond sunlight. Terrestrial experiments inform the work, while space introduces its own demands for pointing, thermal control, mass and lifetime.
Future applications
Three directions for optical power in space
Lunar surface operations
Power links for landers, rovers and infrastructure in shadowed regions, including rim-to-crater and lander-to-rover concepts and support through lunar night.
Longer-horizon energy networks
Cislunar energy services, orbital power relays and space-based solar-power concepts. These require a wider infrastructure and a separate mission-level assessment.
Engineering questions
Different environment, different engineering limits
Vacuum removes atmospheric losses on the space segment, but diffraction, acquisition and pointing, heat rejection, mass and lifetime still define the system. Orbit-to-ground links also cross the atmosphere.
Optical capture and apertures
Receiver area and beam propagation belong in the same mission link budget.
Acquisition and pointing
Relative motion and alignment set requirements for the optical terminals.
Thermal management
Conversion losses must be rejected as heat in the mission environment.
Mass and lifetime
Apertures, radiators and power hardware must fit the platform over its mission life.
Research pathway
Build knowledge from the ground up
Terrestrial integration informs the next research questions. Each space mission needs its own assessment of the optical link and the complete spacecraft system.
- 01Terrestrial systems
- 02LEO research demonstrations
- 03Lunar surface links
- 04Wider energy infrastructure
We are interested in research partnerships around mission concepts, link budgets, pointing and receiver integration, and thermal and mass constraints.
Discuss a space research project