Space Solar Power Demonstrator ends first in-space mission

Re:Space Solar Power Demonstrator ends first in-space mission by gwbas1c on Tuesday January 16, 2024 @05:19PM (#39019947)

It's an experiment to learn about what kinds of panels work best, and about beaming power in general.

New technology, especially when it comes out of a lab in an academic setting, is never commercially viable. That often takes years of refining based on lessons from the lab, and from "real" deployments that aren't profitable.

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Re:Space Solar Power Demonstrator ends first in-space mission by londons_explore on Tuesday January 16, 2024 @05:26PM (#39020021)

Someone must see a path to being profitable one day or they wouldn't be funding research into it...

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Re:Space Solar Power Demonstrator ends first in-space mission by ZeroGravitas on Tuesday January 16, 2024 @06:11PM (#39020507)

Some might be looking for funding to do rocket launches, without caring if the payload they are promoting makes any sense.

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Re:Space Solar Power Demonstrator ends first in-space mission by macintux on Wednesday January 17, 2024 @06:31AM (#39026368)

From the article, the primary funding is from someone who got excited by the idea when he was much younger. I sincerely doubt he expects to make his $100 million back.

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