Power Beaming Grant Award
MuWave Awarded £1.2 Million ARIA Grant to Advance Wireless Power Beaming for High Altitude Aircraft
Project BEACon aims to unlock year-round operation of high-altitude platforms through wireless power transmission
Illustration of the MuWave power beaming concept
MuWave, the UK high-power microwave engineering company, has secured a £1.2 million grant from the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) to develop microwave power beaming technology capable of enabling continuous stratospheric flight.
The project, known as BEACon (Beamed Energy for Airborne Continuity), forms part of ARIA's Enduring Atmospheric Platforms (EndAP) programme. Led by Programme Director Rico Chandra, the programme is backed by £70 million over 3.5 years. MuWave’s BEACon project aims to overcome one of the key limitations of today's High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS): their reliance on solar energy during periods of limited sunlight.
Working with Prismatic Ltd, the BAE Systems company behind the PHASA-35 high altitude platform, and wireless power pioneer Space Solar, MuWave will develop a ground-based microwave power transmission system designed to keep aircraft aloft for extended periods, regardless of season, weather or time of day.
The concept uses a high-power 5.8 GHz transmitter to beam energy from the ground to a lightweight receiving antenna, or rectenna, integrated into the aircraft's wing. By separating the power source from the aircraft, the technology has the potential to enable persistent stratospheric operations even during winter months when solar energy is limited.
If successful, the approach could transform the commercial viability of high altitude platforms, demonstrating a step-change in our ability to operate persistently in the stratosphere, creating a new infrastructure layer between the Earth and space to deliver connectivity to underserved regions in the UK and worldwide.
Under the 24-month programme, MuWave will lead the development of a containerised microwave transmitter demonstrator, designed to support future full-scale flight trials. The programme will ultimately culminate in an integrated demonstration combining MuWave's transmitter technology, Space Solar's rectenna system and Prismatic's PHASA-35 platform.
MuWave brings expertise from the fusion energy sector, where high-power microwave systems are used to heat plasma to temperatures exceeding those found at the core of the Sun. The company is applying this experience to develop next-generation wireless power transmission technologies for aerospace and other emerging markets.
Helen Webster, Co-CEO of MuWave, said:
"MuWave was founded to bring world-leading high-power microwave expertise into new markets beyond fusion. This programme is an excellent example of that vision in action, applying our technology to help solve a fundamental challenge for high altitude platforms and unlock significant new commercial and operational opportunities. We're delighted to be partnering with ARIA, Prismatic and Space Solar to turn this vision into reality."
About MuWave
MuWave is a UK-based engineering and technology company specialising in high-power microwave systems. Building on expertise developed in fusion energy, MuWave develops advanced microwave sources, transmission systems and antenna technologies for applications spanning energy, aerospace, defence and industrial sectors.
About ARIA
ARIA is an R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. Created by an Act of Parliament and sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, we fund teams of scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of what is scientifically and technologically possible.