According to Hong-Kong-based South China Morning Post, the country's leading state-owned spacecraft manufacturer, China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), plans to conduct a trial for wireless power transmission in low Earth orbit in 2028.  Solar energy would be converted into electricity by a solar array on a space station. This power would be transmitted to the Earth using a microwave transmitter or laser.

In its power output, the satellite can generate 10 kilowatts of electricity, which will be enough to power a few households. It will feature a solar cell array, a microwave transmission antenna, a solar cell array, and a transmitting array, plus a power transfer test across 400 kilometers.  It is expected that phase 2 will take place in 2030 when the satellite will be launched into geostationary orbit over a distance of 35,800 kilometers to Earth.

Up to one megawatt of power could be produced by the second mission. There will be much bigger transmission arrays in the spacecraft, and it will be able to transmit medium-power laser power from orbit. Energy generation and transmission capabilities are expected to increase significantly in phases 3 and 4, scheduled for 2035 and 2050, respectively, as well as orbital assembly capabilities and beam steering accuracy.

In addition, electricity transmissions will be received by ground-based infrastructure. Recently published in the journal China Space Science and Technology, is a paper on the retro-directive microwave beam steering technology for space solar power stations.

In the paper, the four phases of the project could help China reach its energy security and carbon neutrality goals. It appears that the updated strategy reflects both domestic and international development trends as well as technological advances.

A megawatt-level power generation facility could be built around 2030, according to CAST's 2021 announcement on small-scale electricity generation. As part of its research into space-based solar power, it is also building test facilities in Chongqing, southwest China.

Last year, the team tested power transfer across a distance of 300 meters using a payload mounted on a small airship. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a subsidiary of China's primary space contractor, CASC, announced last year it would build a space-based power plant in GEO using reusable Long March 9 super-heavy launch vehicles.

No official sanction or action is likely to be taken on the proposal. Space-based solar power faces many challenges, including low and reliable launch services, efficient and safe energy transfer, and economic feasibility.

Science fiction author Isaac Asimov popularized the concept of solar power harvesting in space, imagining space stations using microwave beams to transmit the sun's energy to distant planets, in 1941. Space-based solar power satellites absorb sunlight more than 99 percent of the time, according to UK-funded research. Solar panels on Earth can absorb sunlight only 5 percent of the time.

Ultimately, NASA gave up on the idea due to a lack of economic feasibility and cost. However, much has changed in recent years, such as in the cost equation and the rapid improvement of technology. Space-based solar power for use on Earth is not currently being researched by NASA, according to a spokesperson.