Power Beam Competition

Power beaming is the key to delivering energy across long distances without physical connections. It is a test of efficiency, innovation, and the tech that could fuel tomorrow's space infrastructure.

From wireless energy transmission to efficient receiver design

Teams must conceptualize innovative solutions for sending energy wirelessly from a source to a receiver, simulating the systems that can one day power space elevator climbers on their journey to space.

The Unseen Engine

A space elevator climber cannot carry enough stored energy for its entire ascent. Power beaming, the wireless transmission of energy via electromagnetic waves like lasers or microwaves, is the critical solution.

Conceptualizing the Connection

The Power Beaming Competition is a new, multi-year initiative for WSPEC, held alongside the Tether Climber Competition. Since developing a complete, full-scale power beaming system is a long-term endeavor, this competition breaks the problem down into manageable stages, beginning with a conceptual design phase to pave the way for future hardware development.

Power beaming receiver tested at a WSPEC competition

Program Roadmap

A Multi-Year Journey

The Power Beaming Competitions are a staged program designed to grow over several years. It begins with this call for white papers to establish a strong theoretical foundation. Then the competition moves to hardware, where teams will build and demonstrate their prototype systems in a standardized environment.

Partial system prototype phase illustration

Full system prototype phase illustration

Power Beam

The Challenge

What your white paper must cover

Details a full system architecture, its components, and operational principles
Analyzes the system's technical feasibility, with a heavy focus on power efficiency
Discusses how the concept can be scaled
Outlines the practical steps, budget, and resources needed for prototype development
Considers all necessary safety protocols and reliability measures

Competition Cycle

This is the testing ground for our newest competition series. This cycle allows us to gauge where the industry is today so we can build a challenging, relevant, and optimized hardware competition.

Applications open for teams to register intent to research and participate in this conceptual phase.
Teams conduct research to draft their white paper. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, allowing teams to align their work with their local schedules.
The deadline for all white paper entries. Regardless of when a team started, all final documents must be submitted now to be eligible for review.
The board reviews all submissions and selects the top 5 concepts. These finalists are invited to advance and present their work during the season finale.
The competition evolves from theory to practice. Winning concepts from the white paper phase define the specific constraints and rules for the hardware build cycle.

Current timeline

Specifications

Technical Requirements

*subject to change

Submitted white papers must detail a concept poised for prototyping. Selected teams will present at WSPEC, leading to the hardware competition, where teams will build and test their prototypes, with performance judged on measurable efficiency and the system's ability to scale.