Stars and Stripes reports that the Air Force Research Laboratory in partnership with Northrop Grumman is planning a Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstration. No word on when flight hardware will be ready, but this is the first initiative of which I am aware that actual space technology demonstration is in the works.
Although the project’s primary objectives are intended to augment military operations with beamed power from space to remote bases, the technology has potential commercial applications as a power source for isolated communities worldwide.
