Pentagon fires a test laser for space

The US Naval Research Laboratory launched a laser power beaming device into space on Wednesday, which could one day fuel extraterrestrial colonies or alleviate energy shortages on earth. The SWELL delivers energy harvested from space-based solar panels to earth in the form of electromagnetic waves. The technology has not yet been tested in space, but proponents say it could one day be a "critical enabler" of powered settlements on the moon and elsewhere. Power beaming is not without limitations, however, as a single laser beaming device can transmit 1-10 milliwatts of power, while larger microwave beaming systems could theoretically transmit more than a gigawatt of power to Earth-based receivers. The US is not the only world power interested in the technology, as China is preparing to test a beaming device of its own in the coming years.