Solar power for the Moon: Harnessing light on the dark side

Volta Space Technologies unveils "LightGrid," a lunar power satellite network to transmit solar energy via lasers.

Volta Space Technologies, a startup based in Montréal with offices in the US has announced its ambitious plan to create a satellite network around the moon designed to deliver power to spacecraft on the lunar surface.

Unveiled on October 10, this network, named "LightGrid," will transmit solar energy collected by orbiting satellites via lasers, enabling lunar landers and rovers to operate during the two-week lunar night or in permanently shadowed craters.

The LightGrid system aims to provide a reliable power source for lunar exploration missions where solar energy is unavailable.

Satellites will orbit the moon, collecting solar power and beaming it to receivers installed on spacecraft and rovers.

According to Paolo Pino, Volta's co-founder and chief technology officer, this system could eventually expand to power other lunar infrastructure, such as sensors or resource extraction facilities.

Co-founder and CEO Justin Zipkin noted that the idea for Volta originated from a project at the International Space University, which led to participation in NASA's Watts on the Moon competition.

The company has already garnered significant interest, with term sheets from potential customers worth over $250 million.

Volta has developed laser power transmission technology, successfully testing it over distances up to 850 meters. Their next major milestone is to test the system in Earth orbit, which is scheduled for 2026.

The LightGrid network is expected to initially consist of three small satellites in low lunar orbit, providing full power service to customers on the surface. These satellites can scale up as needed by adding more to the network, offering an advantage over deploying power infrastructure directly on the lunar surface, according to Pino.

Volta’s chief operating officer, Paul Damphousse, emphasized the flexibility of operating from lunar orbit, noting that it offers global coverage from the start and is simpler than landing equipment on the surface.

The company has raised initial seed funding, with investors including MaC Venture Capital and Industrious Ventures.

Volta has also secured grants and awards from NASA, the Defense Department, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.

As the company prepares for a Series A funding round, it anticipates needing an additional Series B round to deploy the first phase of the LightGrid network by 2028.

The startup is also exploring additional applications for its technology, including transmitting power between space-based platforms, sending power from space to Earth, and providing emergency services such as power and communication in disaster relief scenarios.

Damphousse highlighted that Volta is also investigating airborne and maritime uses for the technology.

Volta Space Technologies sees strong synergies between lunar operations and terrestrial applications, with plans to extend its innovations beyond lunar exploration to other domains in the future.

The company’s vision is poised to play a significant role in shaping future lunar missions and space infrastructure.