Space solar power, or SSP, has been a core interest since the advent of the NSS and its predecessor organizations. In the early 1970s, Dr. Peter Glaser invented the concept of collecting energy from space and beaming it where and when it is needed. Since then, a wide range of studies have been and continue to be conducted by NASA, DOE, DoD, commercial concerns, international space agencies and academies, universities, and not-for-profit organizations.
As the technology required to design and deploy viable SSP systems, including wireless power beaming and ancillary services, has matured, the cost of space launch has radically reduced, and the advent of highly modular system architectures has generated greater interest in realizing the promise of SSP. SSP wireless power and ancillary services beaming systems can serve multiple venues, including Space-to-Space, Surface-to-Surface, Space-to-lunar/asteroidal services, and Space-to-Earth. SSP systems can scale from serving niche market on-demand customers to baseload power generation systems capable of meeting large portions of the United States’ growing electrical energy demand and the world’s.
Research and development efforts are ongoing by various national and international agencies (including Japan, China, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the European Space Agency, the Korean Space Agency, and the United States (NASA, DoD, DOE)), commercial concerns, universities, and non-profit organizations.
With our planet suffering from dangerous levels of climate change linked to the consumption of fossil fuels and the abundant energy of the sun arriving at our doorstep largely unutilized 24 hours a day, the time for space solar power has arrived. What are some of the newest technologies, and who will master them? Join us at this world-class gathering to learn more.
This year marks a critical tipping point, as the Space Solar Power, wireless power transmission, and integrated ancillary services transfer research community must begin translating ongoing technology development work into demonstrable services that serve customers.
The perspectives you contribute to the symposium can critically impact achieving a clearer shared understanding within the community of what is necessary to advance these technologies into practical, field-ready systems.
| Morning Session · 10:00 am – 12:00 noon | |
| 10:00 am | Symposium Goals John C. Mankins (Mankins Space Technology) and Gary Barnhard (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 10:10 am | Space Solar Power Overview Ken Ruffin (Didymos Consulting LLC) |
| 10:30 am | Reverse Engineering the Path Forward for Space Solar Power Gary Barnhard (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 10:50 am | Space Solar Power Economics Kevin Barry (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 11:10 am | Go-to-Market Strategies for Space Solar Power Daniel Faber (Bent Pipe) |
| 11:30 am | Group Discussion: Strategic Policy Agenda for Space Power Facilitators: John C. Mankins (Mankins Space Technology) and Gary Barnhard (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 12:00 noon — Break | |
| Afternoon Session · 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm | |
| 2:00 pm | Virtus Solis and Space Solar Power John Bucknell (Virtus Solis) |
| 2:20 pm | Progress in Space Solar Power Paul Jaffe (Overview Energy) |
| 2:40 pm | Terawatt Power for the Moon Jim Keravala (OffWorld) |
| 3:00 pm | Global and Affordable Power on the Moon Paul Damphousse (Volta Space Technologies) |
| 3:20 pm | Lunar Science & Infrastructure Power Requirements Anastasia Ford (NASA) |
| 3:40 pm | Realizing the Lunar Power & Light Company Gary Barnhard (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 4:00 pm | Space Solar Power Legal and Regulatory Matters Michelle Hanlon (Air and Space Law at Ole Miss) |
| 4:20 pm | Air Force Operational Energy in Cislunar Space Nikolai Joseph (AFRL) |
| 4:40 pm | Space Habitats and Space Solar Power Dale Skran (National Space Society) |
| 5:00 pm | Space Solar Power and Space Transportation Edgar Zapata (NASA, retired) |
| 5:20 pm | Group Discussion: Space Solar Power: Infrastructure and Customer Requirements Facilitators: John C. Mankins (Mankins Space Technology) and Gary Barnhard (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 6:00 pm — End Day 1 | |
| Morning Session · 10:00 am – 12:00 noon | |
| SPACE Canada 2026 International Space Solar Power Student Competition | |
| 10:00 am | Competition Introduction Haroon Oqab (SPACE Canada) |
| 10:15 am | Space Solar Power Student Competition Competitor #1 |
| 10:30 am | Space Solar Power Student Competition Competitor #2 |
| 10:45 am | Space Solar Power Student Competition Competitor #3 |
| 11:00 am | Space Solar Power Student Competition Competitor #4 |
| 11:15 am | Space Solar Power Student Competition Competitor #5 |
| 11:30 am | Space Solar Power Student Competition Competitor #6 |
| 11:40 am | Multi-domain Operations Using Rapidly-responsive Phased Energy Universally Synchronized (MORPHEUS) Haroon Oqab (Metasat) |
| 12:00 noon — Break | |
| Afternoon Session · 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm | |
| 2:00 pm | Japanese Space Solar Power Koji Tanaka (JAXA) |
| 2:20 pm | Topics in Space Solar Power Massimiliano Vasile (University of Strathclyde) |
| 2:40 pm | Space Solar Power in Australia Serdar Baycan (Solar Space Technologies) |
| 3:00 pm | Two Decades of China's Space Solar Power Development Xinbin Hou (CAST) |
| 3:20 pm | Space Solar Power at TerraSpark Sanjay Vijendran (TerraSpark) |
| 3:40 pm | Results of the 2024-2026 Space Solar Power Study John C. Mankins (Mankins Space Technology) |
| 5:45 pm | Closing Remarks John C. Mankins (Mankins Space Technology) and Gary Barnhard (Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships) |
| 6:00 pm — End Day 2 | |
Space Solar Power Symposium
Session Co-Chair Info
John Mankins
President, Mankins Space Technology
John C. Mankins, President of Mankins Space Technology, is an internationally recognized leader in space systems and technology innovation and a highly effective manager of large-scale technology R&D programs. He holds a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College, an M.S. in physics from UCLA, and an MBA from the Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University. In his tenure at NASA, Mankins managed the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology, leading pioneering Read More
Gary Barnhard
CEO, Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc
Gary Pearce Barnhard is the President and CEO of Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc. (XISP-Inc), a company focused on Cislunar mission development. He is a computer, robotics, power, and space systems engineer by profession; an architect by avocation; and a scientist by worldview, necessity, and spiritual practice. He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA; a Member of the AIAA Space Automation and Robotics and Space Settlements Technical Committees; a Read More
Space Solar Power Symposium
Session Speakers Info
Kevin Barry
Business Analyst
Kevin, a business analyst with a passion for history and gaming, has extensively studied the correlation between the rise and fall of civilizations and their infrastructure quality. With several published papers on historical economic trends and their application to commercial space development, he continues to contribute to this field. Kevin holds a master’s degree in real estate development from George Mason School of Business and has a diverse educational background, Read More
Daniel Faber
Founder, Bent Pipe
Daniel is an engineer and serial entrepreneur. He has build a dozen satellites, developed nuclear instrumentation for the mining industry, and helped create the first high-bandwidth Ka-band transponders for microsatellites. He invented satellite refueling, created the de facto standard RAFTI “satellite gas cap”, and build Orbit Fab to almost 100 employees. Prior to that, he ran Deep Space Industries and developed thruster that can run on asteroid-derived propellants, selling them Read More
Michelle Hanlon
Executive Director, Air and Space Law at Ole Miss
Michelle L.D. Hanlon is a leading American space lawyer and advocate for responsible space exploration. Dubbed “Godmother of Space Law,” she serves as Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at Ole Miss. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Space Law. Hanlon is co-founder, President, and CEO of For All Moonkind, the only nonprofit dedicated to protecting humanity’s cultural heritage in outer space. Under her leadership, Read More
Karlton Johnson
Chairman, National Space Society Board of Governors
Karlton D. Johnson is the Chairman of the National Space Society’s Board of Governors. In this capacity, he provides overall senior executive leadership to enhance the effectiveness and performance of the Board of Governors in support of the Society’s goals, and he serves as the primary spokesperson for the Board of Governors shepherding strategic engagements with congressional leaders and C-suite senior executives. Mr. Johnson brings a wealth of expertise in Read More
Haroon Oqab
Co-Founder and President, Kepler Space University
Haroon B. Oqab is the Co-Founder and President of Kepler Space University, whose mission is to benefit society and advance human knowledge and expertise. The University is dedicated to the expansion of human civilization from Earth to Space, and is committed to discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge, educating the next generation of leaders, and the development of human space exploration. Haroon is a scientist, astronautical physicist and entrepreneur with Read More
Ken Ruffin
Founder, Didymos Consulting LLC (dba Ruff-in-Space)
Ken Ruffin, member of both the NSS Board of Directors and the NSS Board of Strategic Advisors, an NSS Space Ambassador, as well as president of the National Space Society of North Texas (NSS-NT) has transitioned from an engineering career to a space industry career by leveraging his aerospace engineering education and substantial public speaking experience. Ken has spoken to nearly 250 audiences in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex, Texas, Read More
Dale Skran
COO/SVP, NSS
Dale Skran worked with Bell Labs (AT&T and Lucent Technologies) for seventeen years and continued his career in executive leadership at several other companies including Ascend Communications, Sonus Networks, and CMWare. He was also a rapporteur at the UN International Telecommunication Union where he led the development of international internet standards for video conferencing and voice-over IP (VOIP) services. Skran holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Read More










