- Funding Raised: $65 million
- Total Raised: $88 million
- Headquarters: Jacksonville, Florida
- Round Lead: B Capital
- First In-Space Demo: 2026
$wp:paragraph{“Star Catcher Industries, a Jacksonville, Florida company, closed a $65 million Series A funding round on May 12, 2026, led by B Capital with Shield Capital and Cerberus Ventures, bringing the total raised to $88 million. This significant investment will propel the company’s mission to develop space-based power-beaming technology, which focuses sunlight onto satellites’ solar panels, effectively creating the first power grid in space. With plans to conduct its first in-space demonstration later in 2026, Star Catcher is poised to make a substantial impact in the industry.”}
$wp:paragraph{“The company’s technology has already undergone ground testing, including demonstrations at the Kennedy Space Center runway and a football stadium. Additionally, Star Catcher successfully tested its acquisition and tracking software on a Loft Orbital satellite in late 2025. These trials have paved the way for the upcoming in-space demonstration mission, which will be a crucial step towards operationalizing the technology. With a team of approximately 40 employees, Star Catcher is well-positioned to expand its workforce and accelerate its growth trajectory.”}
$wp:paragraph{“Star Catcher’s target market includes orbital data centers, which will require substantial amounts of power to operate. The company’s power-beaming technology is designed to provide a reliable and efficient source of energy for these data centers. With $60 million in signed contracts and a $3 billion pipeline of prospective customers, Star Catcher is confident in its ability to meet the growing demand for in-space power delivery. The addition of retired Space Force Gen. Jay Raymond to the company’s board further underscores the significance of this technology for national security and commercial applications.”}
$wp:heading{“Why It Matters”}
$wp:paragraph{“The development of space-based power-beaming technology has significant implications for the broader energy industry. As orbital data centers continue to grow in importance, they will require megawatt-scale power to operate, making ground-to-space power-beaming a critical component of the grid infrastructure. The interest from the US Space Force, as evidenced by Gen. Jay Raymond’s involvement, highlights the technology’s potential for defense applications. By establishing a reliable and efficient means of powering satellites, Star Catcher is poised to play a key role in shaping the future of space-based energy delivery.”}
Critical Perspective
The development of space-based power beaming technology, as exemplified by Star Catcher Industries’ $65 million Series A funding, appears promising but faces significant engineering challenges. According to Watt-Logic’s ASPs for AR7, renewables are not cheap; similarly, space-based systems will require substantial investment in infrastructure and technology that may not yet exist at the necessary scale. The headline of a $65 million funding round suggests rapid progress, but the reality is murkier. For instance, the Electric Power Research Institute’s DER Integration Program Manager, Dr. Aminul Huque, emphasizes the need for detailed performance requirements for grid-forming inverters, which are crucial for stable power distribution on Earth. Space-based power beaming would require analogous, if not more complex, technological advancements. The first in-space demonstration by Star Catcher is scheduled for 2026, yet there is no specific mention of the MW-scale capacity required to power orbital data centers. Given that even terrestrial grid integration faces challenges, how will space-based systems handle such large-scale energy transmission? The question remains: can this technology deliver on its promises without significant breakthroughs in both engineering and cost management?
Related Coverage
LocationJacksonville, FL
StagePlanned
Marin Holt
