When Baiju Bhatt stepped down as Chief Creative Officer at Robinhood last year, few could have predicted his next bold move: launching a space company focused on groundbreaking technology that the aerospace industry has largely overlooked. What Bhatt is building with Aetherflux could redefine both renewable energy and national security — and it might be more revolutionary than many realize.
If you’re not paying attention, that’s exactly how Bhatt prefers it. A co-founder of Robinhood since 2013, five years after earning his master’s in mathematics from Stanford, Bhatt is now venturing into space with a clear mission: shift from “aspiring space company” to a full-fledged space enterprise. His new venture, Aetherflux, has already raised $60 million to prove that beaming solar power from space isn’t science fiction — it’s the future.
Bhatt’s fascination with space stems from his childhood. His father, an optometrist in India, spent a decade applying to physics programs in the U.S. before landing a research role at NASA. Bhatt recalls his father’s reverse psychology: “When you grow up, I’m not going to tell you to study physics,” he says, but it only made Bhatt want to pursue it even more. Now, at about the same age his father joined NASA, Bhatt is making his own move into space — with ambitions to create a bigger impact than ever before.
Traditional space solar power concepts have relied on enormous geostationary satellites, the size of small cities, using microwave transmission to send energy back to Earth. These projects have long been considered “20 years away,” mainly because of their sheer scale and complexity — real science fiction. Bhatt’s approach is different: smaller, more agile satellites that use fiber lasers to beam solar energy precisely back to Earth.
Instead of giant microwave antennas, Aetherflux’s satellites convert solar power into focused laser light, which is then transmitted via fiber optics. “We collect solar energy with panels, convert it into light through diodes, and then direct that light down to ground receivers,” Bhatt explains. This innovative method promises a more practical, scalable way to harness space-based solar energy.
The company plans to launch its first demonstration satellite as early as June next year. The initial focus is on national security — a strategic move that could give the U.S. a significant advantage. With funding approved by the Department of Defense, Aetherflux aims to beam power directly to forward military bases, eliminating the need for fuel logistics in combat zones. Bhatt envisions a laser spot on the ground larger than 10 meters, with potential to shrink that to five meters or less, making receivers small, portable, and difficult for adversaries to capture.
Success in this arena could revolutionize military operations worldwide, providing reliable power without the vulnerabilities of traditional fuel supply chains. Beyond defense, space-based solar power could mean continuous, renewable energy for remote areas, disaster zones, and even everyday consumers — fundamentally changing how we think about energy distribution.
Bhatt draws inspiration from entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, who has mastered multiple industries by thinking outside the box. He believes his outsider perspective is an advantage, offering fresh insights that industry veterans might miss. However, space hardware demands a cautious, high-stakes approach. Unlike software, which can be quickly rolled back or updated, satellites require meticulous planning and testing before launch.
Aetherflux is taking a “hardware-rich” approach, building and testing components iteratively to ensure reliability. Bhatt emphasizes that their goal is to avoid the long, uncertain timelines typical of space programs, recognizing that many careers are shorter than the development cycles.
If successful, the implications extend far beyond military applications. Space-based solar power could provide continuous, baseload renewable energy globally, even at night or in remote locations, without massive infrastructure investments. It could also deliver emergency power during natural disasters, offering a new level of resilience.
The team at Aetherflux is comprised of physicists, engineers, and innovators from Lawrence Livermore Labs, Rivian, Cruise, SpaceX, and other top organizations. With 25 employees and growing, Bhatt invites passionate problem-solvers eager to tackle tough challenges: “If you want to work on something incredibly difficult, come join us.”
Bhatt has personally invested in the company’s early stages, funding the initial $10 million and supporting a recent $50 million round led by top venture firms, including Index Ventures, Interlagos, and notable investors like Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and NEA.
The company’s timeline is ambitious: a demonstration satellite launch is planned exactly one year from now. Drawing parallels to GPS, which evolved from a DARPA project into essential infrastructure, Bhatt sees a similar path for space-based solar power. Collaborating with DARPA’s solar beam expert, Dr. Paul Jaffe, Aetherflux is positioned at the intersection of military innovation and commercial potential.
Bhatt believes that as launch technology advances and access to space becomes more routine, space-based solar power will no longer be confined to military use. Instead, it could become a global energy solution, transforming how we power our world — day and night, everywhere, with limitless clean energy from space.
