“In that respect, beamed power from space is like nuclear fusion, except at least 25 years behind.”
NASA’s 2024 report puts space solar at 12 to 80 times the cost of ground power, with at least $275 billion before the first station delivers anything. ESA’s Solaris program has drawn only the UK among 22 member states, and just 5 percent of its funds have reached research. The man who ran ESA’s space power systems says no. Every hype cycle since 1974 has ended with someone looking at the bill.