Pulse Space, a Bellevue, Washington-based startup founded in 2022, has won a $40 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to advance laser-based technology for transmitting power and data between spacecraft.
The company is developing laser systems capable of wireless electrical power transmission and optical data links between satellites, a capability that could enable resilient space networks where spacecraft share energy and communicate through secure optical connections.
Pulse Space CEO Karl Stedman said the company was honored to partner with the Space Force to mature its laser technologies. The contract supports development but specific military applications to be demonstrated were not disclosed.
The award builds on earlier government backing including a $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research contract. According to the SBIR proposal, the company’s high-power laser systems enable long-range precise beam transmission while overcoming challenges like atmospheric turbulence and platform constraints.
Pulse Space is also among hundreds of companies selected for the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, a procurement vehicle supporting technologies expected to contribute to the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense architecture.
Last year Pulse Space announced a partnership with Scout Space to demonstrate laser-enabled directed energy transmission between spacecraft using optical lasers to beam energy between orbital platforms.
The company’s vision includes a resilient network of low Earth orbit satellites equipped with high-power lasers capable of providing secure, high-bandwidth optical communications and transmitting energy between spacecraft.
