Wireless power transfer at a distance, long relegated to the realm of science fiction, has seen a resurgence in recent years. Chief among its promises is Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP), an ambitious project to deploy kilometer scale photovoltaic arrays in space and beam its power down to Earth using a complementary microwave phased array. The building blocks of the array are phased array tiles, which can be instantiated to produce larger apertures. The tile must be simultaneously lightweight and flexible for deployment in space, low-cost, high-performance, and scalable. First, the results of the MAPLE mission, which tested wireless power transfer in space using custom flexible arrays, are presented. Using the results of that mission, the design and testing of next-generation, fully flexible 8x8 element phased array tile are presented. The tile is driven by a custom 22-nm CMOS FDSOI RFIC that achieves record efficiency and performance. These results represent not only a step forward toward practical microwave wireless power transfer but offer new directions in communications and sensing driven by flexible arrays. Additionally, topics on maximum power point tracking in SBSP systems, transmitarrays for SBSP, and the design of a fully-integrated, scalable, and low-cost D-band (110-170GHz) radiator tile are discussed.
Alex Eben Ayling (2026) studied this question.