# Aetherflux

> Aetherflux is a San Carlos, California space and energy startup founded in 2024 by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt. It is building a constellation of small low-earth-orbit satellites that collect sunlight in space and beam the energy back to compact ground stations on Earth using infrared lasers rather than the giant geostationary microwave platforms imagined by earlier space-solar concepts. Backed by a $50 million Series A and early defense funding, the company aims to deliver electricity to places the grid cannot reach, beginning with forward operating bases, remote research stations, and disaster zones, and planned a first in-orbit power-beaming demonstration for 2026.

- **Founded:** 2024
- **Headquarters:** San Carlos, California, United States
- **Founders:** Baiju Bhatt (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~46 employees
- **Products:** Space-based solar power constellation, Infrared laser power beaming, Ground power stations, Mission 1 demonstration
- **Notable:** Raised a $50M Series A in April 2025, bringing total capital to roughly $60M., Attracted a marquee investor list spanning Index Ventures, a16z, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, NEA, Robinhood's Vlad Tenev, and actor Jared Leto., Secured U.S. Department of Defense OECIF funding for an orbit-to-ground power-beaming proof of concept.

## Products & services

- **Space-based solar power constellation** — A planned fleet of small low-earth-orbit satellites that capture sunlight with onboard solar panels, convert it to laser energy, and transmit roughly a kilowatt of power down to Earth - departing from older geostationary microwave designs.
- **Infrared laser power beaming** — Core technology that converts collected solar power into an infrared laser beam aimed at a ground receiver with a spot size on the order of 10 meters, enabling wireless point-to-point power delivery from orbit.
- **Ground power stations** — Compact photovoltaic receiver stations on the ground that capture the incoming laser energy and convert it back into usable electricity; the first is being built at a military site with controlled airspace.
- **Mission 1 demonstration** — A kilowatt-class demonstration satellite, built on Apex Space's Aries bus, planned to launch aboard a SpaceX Transporter rideshare in 2026 to prove end-to-end power transmission from orbit to a real load on the ground.

## Achievements

- Raised a $50M Series A in April 2025, bringing total capital to roughly $60M.
- Attracted a marquee investor list spanning Index Ventures, a16z, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, NEA, Robinhood's Vlad Tenev, and actor Jared Leto.
- Secured U.S. Department of Defense OECIF funding for an orbit-to-ground power-beaming proof of concept.
- Demonstrated laser power transmission in the lab ahead of its planned orbital flight.
- Secured a 2026 SpaceX Transporter launch slot for its kilowatt-class Mission 1 demonstration.

## Latest updates

- **2024-10** — Baiju Bhatt publicly launches Aetherflux and joins the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
- **2025-04** — Aetherflux raises a $50M Series A led by Index Ventures and Interlagos, targeting a 2026 space demo.
- **2025-09** — Bhatt details the laser power-beaming approach and defense-first strategy at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
- **2026-05** — Company rebrands as Cowboy Space, expanding into orbital compute and launch, and later raises a $275M round.

## Links

- Website: https://aetherflux.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/aetherflux

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/aetherflux
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-16