MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. — —
Air Force One researchers are exploring how space-based solar power can help the Air Force maintain operations in contested areas.
As the Joint Force prepares for competition against capable adversaries, sustained forces and assets remain critical to maintaining operational access, survivability, and decision advantage.
The initiative comes from Alpha Blue, part of Air University’s Innovation Accelerator, where students work on real-world operational challenges that are directly linked to warfighting needs.
A team of students from the Alpha Blue Space Research Group recently developed their concept, Pacific Expeditionary Resilient Solar Energy from Undisturbed Space, or PERSEUS. This concept looks at how space-based solar energy can reduce reliance on fossil fuels in Agile Combat Employment and reduce risk to distributed energy.
“Logistics remains one of the main challenges for the Deployable Combat Wing, especially in the Indo-Pacific,” said Lt. Col. Jan Rekstad, a student of the Danish Air War College who is going to the Air Command and Staff College. “Agile Combat Employment relies on deployment and mobility, but that capability still requires reliable power for communication, maintenance, equipment and manpower.”
Today, intermittent power relies on diesel generators, fuel cell vehicles and aircraft supplies. These systems increase lift requirements, create visible signatures and introduce operational risk. In contested areas, those dependencies become weaknesses.
“Our research asks an important question,” Rekstad said. “How can we support distributed wind power without extending weak supply lines?”
Rekstad described the team’s proposed solution as a network of satellites that collect solar energy in orbit and transmit it to receivers on the ground.
“These systems collect solar energy from the environment, convert it into target energy and transmit it to the receiver, which then converts it into usable electricity,” said Rekstad. “Because they operate above weather conditions and atmospheric interference, they can provide stable and predictable power.”
For Agile Combat Employment, that capability would allow mobile units to generate power without relying on fuel supplies. The result is a smaller operating space, higher performance tempo and improved stability in power-hungry areas.
Maj. Robert Hudspeth, a student at the Air Command and Staff College, demonstrated a measured proof of concept model using a 3D printed satellite and a focused energy simulation to demonstrate the transmission of wireless energy to a mobile receiver.
“As demonstrated, energy can be transmitted and received wirelessly,” Hudspeth said. “While this is an approximate schedule, it shows the same steps shown in NASA’s analysis.”
The show focused on mobility, showing how a host can move with power while maintaining access to power.
Maj. Derrick L. Garner, a US Navy officer attending the Air Command and Staff College, spoke about the feasibility, citing improvements in launch costs, solar efficiency and space integration.
“Our project does not encourage immediate arrests,” Garner said. “It demonstrates that space-based solar power can become a future capability that reduces logistical burdens, supports distributed operations and increases the tempo of operations for the Air Force and Joint Forces.”
Although technical and cost challenges remain, the findings point to a different way to support distributed operations and reduce risk in contested networks.
“Space-based solar power offers a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuel supply chains,” Garner said. “It provides a future where energy can be delivered to distributed energy when and where it is needed.”
As the Air Force adapts to a dynamic and dynamic environment, efforts like PERSEUS demonstrate how developing joint Airpower fighters today can impact the way the Joint Force operates tomorrow.
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