Summary:
- Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt just raised $50 million for Aetherflux, a company aiming to beam solar energy from space to Earth using lasers.
- Backers include big names like Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and even Jared Leto.
- Space-based solar could be a game-changer for clean energy, but major technical hurdles still lie ahead.
We’re officially in our solar punk era.
A Silicon Valley startup just raised $50 million to launch satellites into orbit, collect sunlight in space, and laser it back down to Earth. Yes, you read that right.
From Stock Trades to Solar Rays
You might know Bhatt from Robinhood, the app that turned everyday people into day traders. Now, he’s turning his attention skyward. Aetherflux, headquartered in Silicon Valley, wants to launch satellites equipped with solar panels and high-power lasers. The goal? Collect energy in space—where there’s no night, no clouds, no atmosphere—and zap it down to Earth.
Yes, lasers. Yes, space.
Yes, it’s technically possible—and no, it’s never been done at scale.
But that hasn’t stopped a dream team of investors from jumping in. Index Ventures, Breakthrough Energy (chaired by Bill Gates), Andreessen Horowitz, and even Jared Leto have all thrown their support behind this orbital energy experiment.
Why Solar From Space?
Here’s why this matters: Earth-based solar panels don’t work at night. They’re also less effective when it’s cloudy, stormy, or smoggy. Space-based solar, on the other hand, gets uninterrupted sunlight 24/7, and can theoretically beam power down to places that need it most—rural areas, disaster zones, or energy-hungry AI data centers.
If it works, it could revolutionize clean energy.
But... if.
The hurdles are massive:
- The laser technology has to be powerful and accurate—without torching anything.
- The energy has to be converted efficiently once it hits the ground.
- And above all, it has to be safe, scalable, and cheap enough to compete with solar panels here on Earth.
Aetherflux’s team of 20 isn’t pretending this will happen overnight. For now, Bhatt says they’re focused on launching a single satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket next year. If that works, they’ll begin chipping away at a full-scale system.
A New Frontier in Clean Energy—or a Billionaire’s Fever Dream?
Let’s be honest: this is risky. But it’s also exactly the kind of bold idea the climate fight desperately needs. While governments drag their feet and fossil fuels dig in their heels, entrepreneurs are looking to space for solutions.
Bhatt’s story mirrors a bigger truth: tackling the climate crisis is going to take more than solar panels and EVs. It’s going to take creativity, ambition, and—yes—a little bit of sci-fi magic.
Because if we can’t imagine something better, we’ll be stuck repeating the same story. And this planet? It doesn’t have time for reruns.
