ORiS Secures €5M to Advance Laser Power-Beaming Architecture
Turin-based ORiS has raised €5.7 million to develop laser-based wireless power transmission for satellites, facilitating smaller solar arrays and extended lunar missions.
Power Injection via Laser
Italian startup ORiS has finalized a €5 million ($5.7 million) funding round to accelerate the development of wireless laser power-beaming technology. According to SpaceNews, the Turin-based firm secured €4.5 million in pre-seed funding led by Earlybird and Pitchdrive, bolstered by a €500,000 regional grant from the Italian government.
Systems Architecture and Testing
ORiS is engineering a multi-laser array designed to transmit energy between spacecraft. Unlike competing concepts that utilize mirrors or lenses to reflect sunlight, ORiS’s laser system is compatible with existing, unmodified solar panels. The company has already validated its terrestrial system, LOONA, by powering drones at a range of 100 meters—a capability currently being supported by NATO’s DIANA program for defense applications.
CEO Andrea Villa confirmed that the funding will fuel two critical orbital demonstrations scheduled for early 2027. The first mission, conducted in partnership with Dcubed, aims to beam power across a 10-meter gap in LEO. A second mission with a private payload host is slated to follow, establishing the service’s commercial feasibility.
Orbital Logistics and Lunar Prospects
The startup positions itself as a specialized utility for constellations of small spacecraft, contrasting with Florida-based Star Catcher Industries, which targets massive orbital data centers. Beyond Earth orbit, ORiS is eyeing the lunar surface. The goal is to provide sustained energy to exploration hardware during the 14-day lunar night, mitigating the weight constraints of heavy battery systems. Currently, the 15-person team plans to bring its terrestrial power-beaming product to market by the end of this year.