The Commercial Space Federation has added three associate members: Overview Energy, Loft Orbital, and Star Catcher. Overview Energy develops space-based solar power systems that collect energy in geosynchronous orbit and beam it to ground receivers as near-infrared light, with plans to reach LEO in 2028. Loft Orbital operates a satellite deployment service that integrates and launches customer missions, having completed over 25 flights. Star Catcher builds an in-orbit power grid that beams solar energy to client satellites, enabling them to generate 2-10 times more power than onboard systems. The three companies represent different approaches to addressing constraints in the commercial space economy.
Overview Energy, founded in 2022 in Northern Virginia, has demonstrated power beaming from an airborne transmitter and plans to shift power across continents in real time based on grid demand. The company frames space solar energy as a matter of U.S. energy security and resilience. Loft Orbital, established in 2017, operates facilities in San Francisco, Golden Colorado, and Toulouse, France, and launched Orbitworks with Marlan Space in 2024 to serve the Middle East market.
Star Catcher's approach requires no retrofit or custom receiver on client satellites, working with existing solar panels. The company positions itself as part of a broader collaborative effort to build the commercial space economy sustainably. All three companies cited the CSF's role in advocacy and policy development as a factor in their membership decision.
The CSF, founded in 2006, represents the commercial space industry before Congress and the Administration on regulatory and policy matters. The organization's membership spans companies of varying sizes and missions within the commercial space sector.