Until recently, orbital solar power plants belonged to the realm of science fiction. That may not be true for much longer. Overview Energy, an American company, has secured U.S. Army funding to build a ground-based beacon for a future space-based solar transmission system. Specialized satellites would collect sunlight in orbit—where the Sun never sets and the atmosphere never interferes—and beam that energy down to Earth. The beacon is the system’s targeting lock: it is meant to ensure the concentrated beam hits only its intended receiver, not the wrong patch of ground by accident or design. The company has already tested wireless power transmission on the ground. The next trial moves into space in 2028, with commercial deployment targeted to begin in 2030. A second startup is moving on a parallel track. Virtus Solis Technologies has signed a 20-year supply agreement with BAE Systems for electricity from a space-based solar plant that does not yet exist. The planned capacity is 100 MW, and the next major test is set for 2027. If either effort holds, the power grid’s next big leap may not be built on land at all.