JAXA Space Solar Power Systems

JAXA has maintained one of the world's longest-running and most technically detailed SBSP research programmes, with formal study activities traceable to the early 2000s and an institutional roadmap published in 2009. Japan's interest in SBSP is driven by limited domestic fossil fuel resources, high energy import dependence, and national energy security goals. JAXA's SSPS programme has produced rigorous concept studies, conducted wireless power transmission ground experiments, and published detailed engineering analyses of microwave and laser beaming approaches. In 2015, JAXA researchers demonstrated 1.8 kilowatts of wireless power transmission at 55 metres using microwave beaming — a notable milestone in ground-based WPT demonstration. JAXA's roadmap envisions a phased approach: technology demonstration missions in the 2020s, a pilot plant in the 2030s, and a commercial-scale system in the 2040s. The programme maintains active collaboration with Japanese industry including Mitsubishi Electric and NEC on key subsystem development. JAXA coordinates with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and has contributed substantially to international SBSP standards discussions. Research continues across microwave power beaming efficiency, phased array antennas, satellite attitude control during beaming, and rectenna design.