The article is extremely light on details, and I'm highly skeptical of the economics, though I do think its cool that they seem to be actively planning a demonstration mission. If nothing else, it would be neat to see the concept demonstrated in a real spacecraft.
I listened to a podcast[1] a few months ago which proposed the (IMHO) more innovative idea of using giant, ultra-light foil mirrors in space to sell sunlight to existing solar farms at night. Aetherflux seems to be using the more traditional solar panels + IR laser approach, which seems harder to justify the cost of compared to batteries.
I listened to a podcast[1] a few months ago which proposed the (IMHO) more innovative idea of using giant, ultra-light foil mirrors in space to sell sunlight to existing solar farms at night. Aetherflux seems to be using the more traditional solar panels + IR laser approach, which seems harder to justify the cost of compared to batteries.
[1]: https://firstprinciples.fm/episodes/8-ben-nowack-selling-sun...