[Jacksonville, Fla. – June 3, 2025] – Star Catcher Industries, Inc. (Star Catcher), the pioneering company building the first energy grid in space, announced today that retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Eric J. Felt has joined the company as a strategic advisor. Colonel Felt brings three decades of leadership experience in defense technology, space operations, and innovation within the U.S. Department of the Air Force. 

Most recently, Colonel Felt served as the Director of Architecture and Integration at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration at the Pentagon. Four years prior, he was the Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, where he led a team of over 1000 scientists, engineers, and support staff delivering critical space capabilities for national defense. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Colonel Felt to the Star Catcher team,” said Andrew Rush, co-founder and CEO of Star Catcher. “His deep expertise in space systems, government acquisition, and strategic technology planning will be invaluable as we scale our orbital power infrastructure and work closely with both commercial and government partners.”

Star Catcher is building the Star Catcher Network, a space-based energy grid set to beam concentrated solar energy directly to satellites, removing the traditional power constraints that limit spacecraft capability. With Colonel Felt’s guidance, the company aims to accelerate dual-use applications that support both commercial innovation and national security objectives. 

“Star Catcher is tackling one of the most fundamental constraints in space — power availability — with a bold, scalable solution,” said Colonel Felt. “Orbital power beaming has the potential to redefine what’s possible across both national security and commercial space missions. I’m excited to support Star Catcher as they work to turn this breakthrough technology into a critical enabler for the future of space operations.”

Star Catcher successfully completed their first end-to-end ground demonstration of their power beaming technologies in March when they collected, concentrated, and transmitted solar energy down the length of a football field at their hometown’s NFL stadium in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They company recently announced their first large-scale demonstration will occur later this year at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility, home of the Space Shuttle landings until 2011. 

Colonel Felt’s appointment adds to the company’s growing momentum and strengthens their ability to deliver a space-based power infrastructure that meets both commercial and government demands in the rapidly evolving space domain.