Cowboy Space Corporation

Cowboy Space Corporation, previously known as Aetherflux Inc., is an American renewable-energy and space-technology company based in San Carlos, California. The company was founded by Baiju Bhatt, the co-founder and former co-chief executive officer of Robinhood, and is focused on commercializing space-based solar power. Its central concept is to collect solar energy in orbit and deliver usable electricity to Earth, potentially providing power in locations where conventional terrestrial generation or grid connections are difficult to establish. The company’s proposed architecture uses solar panels mounted on satellites in low Earth orbit. Rather than transmitting energy through the microwave systems commonly associated with earlier space-solar concepts, Cowboy Space Corporation plans to use infrared lasers to send power toward receivers on the ground. This design is intended to support compact receiving infrastructure and flexible deployment. The company has described initial receivers as larger than 10 meters in diameter, while indicating that future engineering could reduce their size to roughly five to 10 meters or potentially smaller. The first target applications are specialized rather than mass-market electricity supply. The company has identified possible uses in United States military operations, remote scientific or research stations, and isolated mining sites. These environments can face high costs, logistical limitations, fuel-supply risks, or a lack of reliable grid access. Space-based generation could, if technically and economically validated, provide an additional source of power without requiring extensive terrestrial transmission construction. Bhatt’s interest in space technology was influenced by his father’s work as a scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center. After leaving his leadership role at Robinhood in March 2024, Bhatt began working on the venture that later became public as Aetherflux. In October 2024, the company announced its operations and reported a team of approximately 10 people. It acquired a satellite bus from Apex, a satellite company in which Bhatt is an investor, and began developing the solar-power payload. The company stated that it intended to conduct an initial mission and space demonstration in early 2026. The business has also pursued government and commercial partnerships. It joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation in October 2024, and the United States Department of Defense’s Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund approved its space-solar program for support toward a proof of concept for transmitting power from low Earth orbit to Earth. In 2025, reporting described a $50 million Series A round and total funding of $60 million, with participation from venture firms, technology investors, and individual backers. These figures relate to the company’s private financing and do not represent public-market capitalization or revenue. In December 2025, the company announced the Galactic Brain project, an effort to develop an orbital data center powered by its space-based solar infrastructure, with a stated commercial-operation objective in the first quarter of 2027. This initiative broadened the company’s proposed scope from supplying power to terrestrial customers toward supporting energy-intensive computing in orbit. The company remains an early-stage venture whose long-term commercial prospects depend on launch economics, satellite durability, laser power transmission, receiver deployment, regulatory approval, orbital safety, and the ability to demonstrate reliable energy delivery at a competitive cost.

The technological premise behind Cowboy Space Corporation belongs to the long history of space-based solar-power proposals. The general idea is to place solar collectors above the atmosphere, where sunlight is available without the interruption caused by night, weather, or atmospheric absorption, and then transmit the collected energy to Earth. The concept has appeared in science fiction and engineering studies for decades. One early cultural precedent cited in connection with the company is Isaac Asimov’s 1941 short story “Reason.” The company’s former name, Aetherflux, was associated with older ideas about aether theories. The company emerged from the transition of Baiju Bhatt, a co-founder and former co-chief executive officer of Robinhood, from financial technology into space and energy. Bhatt left his Robinhood leadership role in March 2024 to focus on a new venture. His interest in space was partly shaped by his father’s work as a scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The venture was publicly introduced in October 2024 under the name Aetherflux Inc., before later being identified as Cowboy Space Corporation. At launch, the company described a technical approach that differed from many previous government and university studies. Instead of relying on large geostationary platforms and microwave transmission, it proposed a constellation of comparatively compact satellites in low Earth orbit. Solar panels on the spacecraft would collect energy, while infrared lasers would direct power to receivers on Earth. The company has described receivers initially larger than 10 meters in diameter, with the possibility of reducing their dimensions through further development. This architecture is aimed at applications where a dedicated and flexible power source could be more valuable than immediate deployment for general utility-scale electricity. The company initially identified United States military activities, remote research facilities, and remote mining operations as potential users. These environments may have limited access to electrical grids and may depend on fuel transported over long distances. A space-based power system would need to demonstrate reliable pointing, atmospheric transmission, receiver safety, orbital persistence, and favorable economics before such applications could become practical. During its initial operating period, the company reported a team of approximately 10 employees. It purchased a satellite bus from Apex, a satellite company in which Bhatt is an investor, and began designing the payload intended for its first mission. The company stated an objective of conducting an early mission and space demonstration in 2026. It also joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation in October 2024, aligning itself with a broader commercial-space industry group. Later that month, Daniel M. Gallagher, Robinhood Markets’ chief legal officer, became an advisor. The company’s development received additional private and government backing. In April 2025, reporting described a $50 million Series A round co-led by Index Ventures and Interlagos, with additional investment from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, New Enterprise Associates, Robinhood co-founder Vlad Tenev, Daniel Gallagher, artist Jared Leto, and watchmaker François-Paul Journe. The reported financing brought total capital raised to $60 million. Separately, the United States Department of Defense’s Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund approved the company’s space-solar program for funding toward a proof of concept demonstrating transmission of power from low Earth orbit to Earth. In December 2025, the company announced Galactic Brain, an orbital data-center initiative. The project proposed using the company’s space-based solar infrastructure to power artificial-intelligence computing in orbit, with an objective of commercial operation during the first quarter of 2027. This represented an expansion from supplying power to remote terrestrial users toward building energy infrastructure for orbital computing. As an early-stage company, Cowboy Space Corporation’s future depends on proving its hardware and transmission system, securing regulatory and launch approvals, managing orbital risks, and establishing a commercially viable customer and revenue model.

1. 2025Series A financing and Department of Defense program support

   A reported $50 million Series A brought total reported funding to $60 million, while a Department of Defense energy program approved support for a space-to-Earth power-transmission proof of concept.

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2. 2025Galactic Brain project announced

   The company announced a plan for an orbital data center powered by its space-based solar infrastructure, targeting commercial operation in the first quarter of 2027.

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3. 2024Bhatt leaves Robinhood to develop a new venture

   Baiju Bhatt stepped down from his Robinhood role in March 2024 to focus on the space and energy venture that later became Aetherflux and then Cowboy Space Corporation.

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4. 2024Aetherflux begins public operations

   The company publicly introduced its low-Earth-orbit space-solar concept, reported a small initial team, acquired a satellite bus from Apex, and began payload design.

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5. 2024Commercial Spaceflight Federation membership

   The company joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation in October, shortly after announcing its public operations.

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An early-stage space-energy company positioned around the commercialization of low-Earth-orbit solar generation and infrared laser transmission for specialized, remote, military, research, mining, and potentially orbital-computing applications.

• Low-Earth-orbit solar-power satellitesSpace-based renewable energy

  A proposed satellite constellation designed to collect solar energy in low Earth orbit. The spacecraft are intended to use solar panels and transmit energy toward Earth rather than generating electricity at a conventional terrestrial site. The company’s architecture emphasizes lower-orbit operations and potentially smaller spacecraft than some earlier geostationary space-solar proposals.

• Infrared laser power transmissionEnergy transmission technology

  A proposed system for sending collected solar energy from orbit to Earth through infrared lasers. The approach is intended to differ from microwave-based space-solar concepts and would require precisely controlled links between orbital transmitters and ground receivers, along with extensive safety, atmospheric, and regulatory validation.

• Ground power receiversRenewable-energy infrastructure

  Receiving stations designed to capture transmitted infrared energy on Earth and convert it into usable electrical power. The company has discussed initial receivers larger than 10 meters in diameter and has suggested that future engineering could reduce the required footprint to approximately five to 10 meters or potentially smaller.

• Galactic BrainOrbital data-center project2025

  A proposed orbital data-center initiative announced in December 2025. Galactic Brain is intended to use the company’s space-based solar-energy infrastructure to support artificial-intelligence computing in orbit, with a stated objective of reaching commercial operation in the first quarter of 2027.

• 2025Expand into orbital computing with Galactic BrainStrategy

  After developing a space-based solar-energy platform, the company explored an additional use for that infrastructure: supplying power to high-demand computing systems in orbit.

  What changed. The company announced Galactic Brain, an orbital data-center project intended to support artificial-intelligence workloads and pursue commercial operation in the first quarter of 2027.

  Aftermath. The announcement broadened the company’s strategic scope from transmitting energy to terrestrial locations toward combining orbital power generation with space-based computing.

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• 2024Adopt a low-Earth-orbit, infrared-laser architectureStrategy

  The company entered a field historically associated with large orbital collectors, geostationary platforms, and microwave transmission. It sought a differentiated architecture for early commercial applications.

  What changed. Cowboy Space Corporation proposed a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites that would collect solar energy and transmit it to ground receivers through infrared lasers.

  Aftermath. The approach became the foundation of the company’s planned demonstrations and its proposed applications for military, research, mining, and other remote users.

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• 2024Target specialized users before broad utility marketsOther

  Space-based solar power remains technically complex and capital intensive, making immediate competition with conventional grid electricity difficult.

  What changed. The company identified military operations, remote research stations, and remote mining sites as potential initial applications.

  Aftermath. The proposed market entry focuses on customers that may value reliable power in isolated locations and tolerate a specialized infrastructure model.

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• 2025Aetherflux reports Series A financing and Defense Department support

  Reporting in April 2025 described a $50 million Series A co-led by Index Ventures and Interlagos, bringing reported total funding to $60 million. The Department of Defense’s Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund also approved support for a proof of concept involving power transmission from low Earth orbit to Earth.

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• 2025Cowboy Space Corporation announces the Galactic Brain project

  In December 2025, the company announced Galactic Brain, a proposed orbital data center intended to use the company’s space-based solar infrastructure and pursue commercial operation in the first quarter of 2027.

  Product launch
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• 2024Baiju Bhatt leaves Robinhood leadership to pursue a space venture

  In March 2024, Bhatt stepped down from his role at Robinhood to concentrate on a new company that was later identified as Aetherflux, the former name of Cowboy Space Corporation.

  Leadership changeOther
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• 2024Aetherflux announces its space-based solar-power venture

  The company publicly introduced its plan to collect solar energy in low Earth orbit and transmit it to Earth through infrared lasers. It initially reported a team of about 10 people and plans for an early space demonstration.

  Product launch
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• 2024Aetherflux joins the Commercial Spaceflight Federation

  One day after its public announcement, the company joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, an industry organization representing and promoting commercial spaceflight.

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• 2024Daniel M. Gallagher joins Aetherflux as an advisor

  Daniel M. Gallagher, Robinhood Markets’ chief legal officer, joined the company as an advisor later in October 2024.

  Leadership change
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1. Cowboy Space Corporation
2. Cowboy Space Corporation official website