# The Pentagon Gambles on Space-Based Solar Power

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/the-pentagon-gambles-on-space-based-solar-power
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/the-pentagon-gambles-on-space-based-solar-power.md
Podcast: [The Defense Tech Podcast with Fexingo: Government Contracting, Aerospace, and Military Tech](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833)
Published: 2026-06-18T20:04:17+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-defense-tech-podcast/episode-0059.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-defense-tech-podcast/episode-0059.mp3
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Duration seconds: 611

## Resource

Episode 59 of The Defense Tech Podcast explores the Pentagon's latest unconventional energy bet: space-based solar power. Lucas and Luna break down the Defense Innovation Unit's SBSP program, the $100 million prototype contract awarded to Northrop Grumman in April 2026, and the technical hurdles of beaming gigawatts from orbit. They discuss how this fits into the military's push for resilient energy at forward operating bases, the competition with nuclear microreactors, and why Lockheed Martin and RTX are also investing in wireless power transmission. With the defense sector down 3% this week but RTX bucking the trend, they connect the strategic logic to current market moves. #SpaceBasedSolarPower #PentagonEnergy #DefenseInnovationUnit #NorthropGrumman #LockheedMartin #RTX #WirelessPowerTransmission #MilitaryEnergy #RenewableEnergy #OrbitalInfrastructure #MicrowaveBeaming #ForwardOperatingBases #EnergyResilience #DefenseTech #Aerospace #GovernmentContracting #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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