Star Catcher Signs Power-Beaming Deal to Supply Orbital Data Center Firm Aethero

Star Catcher Industries has signed a power purchase agreement with Aethero, committing to beam power to the company's future space computing systems. The deal, announced August 24, makes Aethero the 10th major commercial customer for Star Catcher's power-beaming system.

Star Catcher is developing a network of spacecraft designed to transfer power in the form of concentrated sunlight to the solar panels of its customers' satellites. That approach allows those satellites to produce additional power without any modifications. The company has identified orbital data centers as a key customer segment, since those spacecraft carry high power requirements that drive their design toward large solar arrays and radiators. A power-beaming system could reduce the size of those arrays.

Under the agreement, Star Catcher will transmit power to Aethero spacecraft that host data centers and content distribution networks. The companies did not disclose terms, including the amount of power or the price. Aethero is developing space computing systems for orbital data centers and related applications. In April, the company announced it is working with satellite manufacturer EnduroSat on a mission called Titan, which will demonstrate Aethero's advanced computer systems. Titan is scheduled to launch in October on a SpaceX rideshare mission.

Andrew Rush, chief executive of Star Catcher, framed the agreement as evidence of near-term demand. "The infrastructure we are building at Star Catcher is foundational to any future we can imagine in space, and this partnership proves that future is arriving now," he said. Rush, the former chief executive of Made In Space who later served as an executive at Redwire, noted that power had been the "primary wall" those companies encountered on space infrastructure projects. "That wall is now coming down."

Amit Pinnamaneni, chief executive of Aethero, said locking in energy infrastructure was central to the company's plans. "As we prepare to deploy our Titan mission and scale our vision to our constellation offerings, locking in the critical infrastructure necessary for long-term success is essential," he said. "We are confident that Star Catcher is the right partner to meet our operational energy requirements, allowing us to focus entirely on building the best computers possible."

Star Catcher said its 10 major commercial customer agreements now carry a combined value of more than $60 million. The company raised a $65 million Series A round in May to fund in-space demonstrations of its technology. Rush said at that time that an upcoming test of the system in space would "position us for going operational and for scaling." On August 20, Star Catcher was named one of 11 companies selected for a Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, award from the Space Force's SpaceWERX office. The award is worth $60 million, half from the government and half from private sources.

The agreement, in the words of both chief executives, addresses power as the limiting factor for space infrastructure and orbital data centers. Star Catcher said the STRATFI award "will help us accelerate the development of our orbital energy grid," though it has not disclosed additional details about what the funding will support.

Aethero's Titan mission is scheduled to launch in October on a SpaceX rideshare flight. Star Catcher has an upcoming in-space test of its power-beaming system that Rush said would position the company for operational deployment and scaling, funded in part by its Series A round.