China Explores Military Applications of Space-Based Solar Power

China is developing a space-based solar power system that integrates energy production with military capabilities, including electronic warfare and reconnaissance. Duan Baoyan, a professor of electromechanical engineering at Xidian University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, detailed these capabilities in a paper published in March 2026 in Scientia Sinica Informationis.

The initiative, known as the Zhuri space solar power project, involves the creation of giant orbital infrastructure designed to harvest sunlight continuously in space and transmit it to Earth via microwave beams. While the primary objective is energy transmission, the revamped design outlined by Duan Baoyan specifies that the system must support a variety of additional tasks.

Military and Strategic Applications

According to the paper published in Scientia Sinica Informationis, the orbital infrastructure is designed to facilitate functions beyond power generation. These include:

• Communication and navigation
• Reconnaissance
• Interference and remote control

The system relies on the development of extremely narrow and precisely steerable microwave beams to move energy over long distances from space to the ground. While these beams are intended to increase the efficiency and accuracy of wireless power transmission, the capability to precisely target signals could be used for jamming or securing military communications.

Technical Implementation and Goals

Space-based solar power (SBSP) allows for the collection of solar radiation without the interference of weather, seasons, or the day-night cycle that limits terrestrial solar panels. The energy is converted into electricity in orbit, transmitted as microwaves, and then converted back into power by receiving antennas on Earth.

China has established a timeline for the scaling of this technology. The government aims to establish a space-based solar power station by 2035, with the goal of generating megawatts of electricity. By 2050, the initiative targets gigawatt-scale energy production, which could potentially rival the output of the Three Gorges Dam.

To achieve these goals, China plans to utilize super-heavy rockets, such as the Long March 9, to transport and assemble the large solar arrays in geostationary orbit, approximately 36,000 kilometers above the Earth.

Current Progress and Validation

Significant technical milestones have already been reached. Xidian University has completed a ground verification system, which is described as a world-first. This system integrates several critical components:

• High-efficiency light concentration
• Photoelectric conversion
• Microwave transmission
• Wireless energy beaming

These advancements are intended to address the primary logistical hurdles of the project, specifically the assembly of massive arrays in orbit and the minimization of energy loss during the transmission of power across vast distances.

Beyond energy and military use, reports indicate that China is also exploring the potential for this technology to be used for climate intervention, such as the potential to weaken typhoons, and to provide power to satellites in orbit.