A CubeSat swarm beaming down solar power

In the 16U4SBSP mission concept, 16U CubeSats fly together in swarms to collect kilowatts of solar energy in space, which they then wirelessly transfer to clients on Earth or to other satellites in space. This is a fundamental technology demonstration step for the realisation of (gigawatt-scale) space-based solar power.

ESA is helping to fund a mission concept study for this idea, proposed by Sirin Orbital Systems, in collaboration with Delft University of Technology and the University of Strathclyde, and with technical support from the University of Zürich. 16U4SBSP is one of the seven selected ideas of ESA Preparation's open call for innovative new mission concepts enabled by CubeSat swarms. Read more about the selected ideas here.