Overview Energy awarded Department of War OECIF contract to develop homing beacon for space solar energy

The beacon will let Overview satellites lock onto and beam power to terrestrial solar arrays from orbit, laying the groundwork for the company's 2028 space demonstration

ASHBURN, Va., Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF)—a Department of War program focused on maturing and demonstrating operational energy technologies—has awarded Overview Energy a contract to design, build, and test the homing beacon for the company's space solar energy system.

Overview develops satellites that collect solar energy in orbit and deliver it to existing ground infrastructure at any time of day by converting sunlight into a safe, invisible beam of near-infrared light. Ground crews install the beacon at solar receiver sites, enabling Overview satellites to locate the site, lock on, and beam power with high precision. The system requires an active, authenticated beacon before a satellite transmits energy, which prevents signal spoofing and hijacking.

Under the OECIF program, Overview engages directly with warfighters at operational sites. The team visits bases early in the design cycle to gather operational requirements, then returns with operational beacon hardware for field testing and user feedback.

"Delivering reliable power to remote and contested locations remains one of the military's most persistent operational challenges," says Christopher DePuma, Combat Power Portfolio Lead at OECIF. "Overview Energy's technology opens up a new source of reliable power, and the homing beacon ensures precise, secure power delivery from orbit to an authenticated destination. This award advances key technology to bring resilient energy safely to the warfighter."

Military bases in remote and contested environments often depend on vulnerable fuel convoys to maintain power. Overview's space solar energy system provides reliable, redirectable power without requiring fuel shipments or introducing single points of failure. The system shifts capacity across continents as mission requirements evolve. Because the underlying technology directly supports the commercial energy sector, this dual-use investment strengthens both military operational energy resilience and civilian grid capacity.

"The connection between space and the ground is the most critical element of space solar energy, especially for warfighters who depend on power at precise locations," says Darko Filipi, Co-CEO of Overview Energy. "The homing beacon makes that connection precise and safe. Having proven the core technology during airborne demonstrations, this award allows us to build operational hardware shaped directly by end-user input."

The hardware from this award integrates directly into Overview's first satellite for its scheduled 2028 space solar energy demonstration. It also serves as the baseline ground hardware for the GEO satellite constellation scheduled for deployment starting in 2030. Overview's successful airborne flight test validated the tracking and pointing systems planned for the orbital platform.

About Overview Energy
Overview Energy is turning uninterrupted sunlight in space into directable energy on Earth. Its satellites will collect solar energy 24/7 in geosynchronous orbit and beam it to receivers on the ground—existing and future utility-scale solar projects—as safe near-infrared light. The system will be able to shift power across continents in real time based on demand, without changing infrastructure on the ground. Founded in 2022, Overview has already achieved first-of-its-kind power beaming from a moving airborne platform and is backed by leading investors in energy and aerospace.

About the Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF)

The Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF) is DoW's premier, joint operational energy investment program. OECIF is pre-commercialization. Through highly targeted science and technology investments, it guides and matures advanced, first-of-a-kind operational energy technologies across warfighting platforms and domains.

More information can be found at https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/ero/inn/oecif-oepf.html 

SOURCE Overview Energy