Harnessing the Sun, with Baiju Bhatt (CEO of Aetherflux)

In this week’s pod, we dive into the world of space-based solar power with Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood and now founder of Aetherflux, a new startup aiming to change how we think about energy from space. Baiju takes us on his personal journey from building a public company to tackling one of the most ambitious ideas in the space industry. Drawing on a lifelong passion for space—rooted in his father's work at NASA—Baiju reveals how Aetherflux plans to bring to life a 1970s sci-fi vision: harnessing solar power from space to solve Earth’s most pressing energy challenges.

Baiju shares the challenges and excitement of launching Aetherflux, and how his team is taking a modern approach to an old concept by using advanced laser technology and modular satellite networks. We also discuss:

• How Aetherflux is developing the first practical demonstration of space-based solar power
• The major potential applications, from powering forward-deployed military bases to remote mining sites
• How his experience at Robinhood shaped his entrepreneurial philosophy for solving massive challenges like global energy
• Aetherflux’s ambitious timeline for a demo mission in 2026

And much more...

• Chapters •

00:00 - Intro

00:44 - Robinhood to space

03:51 - A father's influence

06:54 - Why Aetherflux?

11:15 - Natural resources in space

12:18 - Why do we need solar power in space?

13:53 - Market and applications for space solar

19:53 - Lasers for power transmission

23:02 - Efficiency gain / loss with space solar

26:06 - Real time power delivery

29:21 - Why not nuclear?

31:37 - Space-based solar for space

32:28 - Safety and regulation

34:37 - Economics of space solar

38:06 - Constellations at scale

39:06 - Early revenue model

40:09 - Competitors

41:05 - Funding

44:05 - An Apple moment

48:19 - Aetherflux team, growth, and goals

49:26 - Space startups that Baiju is excited about

51:20 - Who would Baiju choose to play him in a movie?

• Show notes •

Aetherflux’s website — https://www.aetherflux.com/

Aetherflux’s socials — https://twitter.com/AetherfluxUSA

Baiju’s socials — https://twitter.com/BaijuBhatt

Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam

Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes

• About us •

Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.

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