Beyond the battle for public acceptance, the availability and cost of compute constitute two of the key limitations facing LLMs, writes Chris Young. In a new update, Star Catcher and Aethero have announced a Power Purchase Agreement that will see Star Catcher provide power to orbital data centres built by Aethero.

According to the two companies, the collaboration will advance “the foundational energy layer required to scale advanced computing and artificial intelligence in orbit.”

Both Star Catcher and Aethero have performed successful technology demonstrations in orbit – Star Catcher completed the on-orbit demonstration mission ‘Sextant Alpha’ in late 2025, while Aethero has conducted multiple successful in-orbit technology demonstrations of its space-rated high-performance compute systems.

Under the new agreement, Aethero will draw on-demand power from the soon-to-launch Star Catcher Network. The space-based solar power company is building the technology required to harvest solar energy in space and then beam it to other spacecraft and satellites orbiting Earth.

Star Catcher’s orbiting Power Nodes use low-cost Fresnel lenses to collect and diffuse sunlight. The system then refines the light into wavelengths optimised for the receiving satellite’s solar panels. The Power Nodes use precision tracking systems and adaptive mirrors to direct the powerful optical beam to the client spacecraft. According to Star Catcher, its technology can allow up to 10 times more power on demand. It also claims that “offloading peak power needs to Star Catcher’s grid yields a 1.9-3.5 times revenue multiplication for orbital compute architectures.”