Virtus Solis Signs Space Solar Deal With Brae Systems
Troy, Michigan startup Virtus Solis Technologies signed a 20-year agreement to supply orbital solar power to Brae Systems for modular underwater data centers. The deal initially covers 100 megawatts, with an option to expand to 250 megawatts, while the first receiving station and pilot data center are planned for Illinois around 2030.
Virtus Solis Technologies, a Troy, Michigan-based space solar startup, signed a 20-year power agreement with Chicago-based Brae Systems, which is developing modular underwater data centers. Virtus Solis plans to provide 100 megawatts of orbital solar power, with an option to increase supply to 250 megawatts within three years of commercial operations. The companies are targeting first commercial deliveries around 2030.
The agreement depends on several unproven milestones, including lower launch costs, large-scale satellite deployment and a planned 2027 demonstration of wireless power transmission. Brae Systems expects the first receiving station and a pilot data center to be built in Illinois. Virtus Solis has also received $1.92 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E program to support wireless power technology.