Chinese engineers have taken a concrete step toward powering drone fleets from space. A team at Xidian University recently demonstrated a microwave system that delivered stable power to a moving drone and multiple fixed targets at once. The tests mark measurable progress in a long-term effort known as the Sun Chasing project.
Researchers transmitted 1,180 watts across 100 meters to stationary receivers with 20.8 percent efficiency. In a separate trial a drone flying at 30 kilometers per hour received 143 watts from 30 meters away. Those numbers remain modest yet they prove the core idea works. One transmitter handled several receivers simultaneously. That ability matters for any future system hoping to service an entire swarm.
The project builds on years of Chinese research into space-based solar power. Satellites in orbit would capture uninterrupted sunlight then convert it to microwaves or lasers beamed downward. Ground stations or aerial platforms would receive the energy and turn it back into electricity. But the recent ground tests focused on nearer-term applications. Disaster relief drones. Military surveillance platforms. Stratospheric vehicles that linger for days. And yes swarms of small unmanned aircraft operating together.
Professor Duan Baoyan leads the effort at Xidian University’s school of mechano-electronic engineering. His team spent three years building a 440-pound microwave antenna and supporting hardware for the ground verification system. They improved on 2022 results that achieved only 15.05 percent efficiency. Collection efficiency at the receiving antenna reached 88 percent. Small improvements compound when the goal is sustained operation rather than one-off demonstrations.
And the implications stretch beyond single drones. Low-altitude satellites. Artificial moons. Those terms appear in earlier Chinese technical papers describing networks of persistent aerial vehicles. A 2023 report from Asia Times noted that optics-driven drones recharged by laser could boost the combat effectiveness of drone swarms while proving cheaper and less vulnerable than traditional satellites. Northwestern Polytechnical University had already shown a drone staying aloft indefinitely through laser tracking and photoelectric conversion modules. The new microwave work from Xidian adds the ability to hit multiple fast-moving targets from a single emitter.
But challenges remain. Atmospheric distortion scatters beams. Dust rain or clouds degrade performance. Precise tracking demands constant adjustment. Earlier laser experiments at Northwestern Polytechnical University incorporated a 24-hour intelligent vision algorithm that tolerated changes in lighting scale and rotation. Safety protocols automatically reduced laser intensity if an obstacle appeared. Similar safeguards will be necessary for any orbital system.
The United States pursues parallel concepts. DARPA and the U.S. Army have explored laser charging from ground stations or modified tankers. Caltech flew its MAPLE prototype in 2023 demonstrating space-to-ground microwave transmission on a small scale. China’s program appears more integrated with military planning. State media link the Sun Chasing project to both civilian energy needs and national defense priorities.
So what does an operational system look like? A constellation of solar satellites in geostationary orbit. Gigantic arrays kilometers wide. Microwave transmitters that lock onto receiver arrays on drones or ground vehicles. The Xidian team says one station could eventually serve multiple satellites and aerial platforms at once. Their recent success with simultaneous targets represents an essential piece of that puzzle.
Timing matters. Chinese planners talk about a 10-kilowatt test satellite in low Earth orbit by 2028. A 1-megawatt station in geostationary orbit could follow by 2030. Full-scale commercial or military systems remain decades away. Yet the pace of ground demonstrations has accelerated. A South China Morning Post article published two days ago described the latest kilowatt-level multi-target tests as a significant advance toward the orbiting power station dream.
Critics point to enormous engineering hurdles. Launch costs. Assembly in space. Beam safety for aircraft and wildlife. Conversion losses that could render the economics unattractive. Proponents counter that persistent drone coverage offers strategic advantages that justify the expense. A swarm kept aloft for weeks could monitor vast ocean areas provide communications relays or deliver precision strikes without forward bases.
The Gizmodo report that first highlighted the swarm-recharging angle appeared today. It draws directly from Xidian University announcements and Xinhua coverage. Those primary accounts emphasize dual-use potential. Powering emergency radars in remote regions. Keeping cargo drones aloft during relief operations. Extending the reach of military reconnaissance without frequent landings.
Recent coverage reinforces the momentum. A PV Magazine story from yesterday repeated the 1,180-watt and 143-watt figures while noting the 20.8 percent DC-to-DC efficiency. People’s Daily carried similar details framing the work as a breakthrough in wireless energy transmission. The consistency across state-affiliated outlets suggests coordinated messaging around the Zhuri program.
Technical details matter to defense analysts. The receiving antennas have grown lighter and more compact. That reduction in mass improves drone endurance and payload capacity. Phased-array technology likely steers the beam without mechanical movement. Real-time feedback from the drone’s GPS and flight controls keeps the energy focused even during maneuvers. These are the same techniques needed to hand off power between multiple orbital transmitters as Earth rotates.
Western observers have watched China’s space solar ambitions for years. Some dismissed early claims as aspirational. The latest tests make dismissal harder. A functioning ground prototype that charges a drone while simultaneously powering other targets demonstrates command of several interlocking disciplines. Microwave generation. Beam forming. High-efficiency conversion. Target acquisition. Each solved at laboratory scale.
Still the gap between 30 meters and geostationary orbit spans orders of magnitude. Efficiency drops with distance. Atmospheric losses multiply. Regulatory and safety questions around high-power beams crossing civilian airspace will demand answers. Chinese researchers acknowledge these obstacles. Their published roadmaps stretch into the 2030s and beyond.
Yet the strategic intent feels clear. Persistent aerial dominance through unlimited endurance. Drone swarms that do not pause to recharge. Networks of low-flying platforms that act like satellites but cost far less to replace. If China can close the remaining engineering gaps it will hold a distinctive capability. One that alters calculations in the South China Sea the Taiwan Strait or any theater where sustained surveillance confers advantage.
The work continues. Next come orbital demonstrations. Larger arrays. Higher power levels. Integration with actual drone fleets. Each milestone will draw scrutiny from competitors and partners alike. For now the message from Xidian University is measured. The system works on the ground. The path to orbit lies ahead. But the foundation has been laid.
China’s Orbiting Power Beams Aim to Sustain Endless Drone Swarms first appeared on Web and IT News.