We have seen multiple posts on social media such as X, Facebook and Instagram claiming that Japan has just successfully carried out a historic “world first” – generating electricity in space and sending it to earth.
Comments and claim posts suggest that this is a fully formed system where energy is collected from solar panels in space and sent back to be used on earth. However, despite the large number of such posts (complete with eye-catching graphics and bold headlines), we decided to look a bit closer.
From what we could find, iterations of this claim (often using AI generated graphics) first appeared in December 2025 and have recently resurfaced with the label of “Breaking” or recent news in the past week. While it is true that Japan has announced plans for developing space-based solar technology as early as 2024, we could find no evidence of a recent launch or transmission as the claims assert.
Rather, the claims seem to be loosely based on an initiative by Japan Space Systems called OHISAMA, which aims to create a system to harness solar power from space. Under the OHISAMA programme, a proof-of-concept test has been planned to take place in 2026 where a 180-kilogram satellite will be sent into low Earth orbit. The satellite will generate power, convert the power into microwaves, and beam it to earth.
If successful, this will be a strong indicator that the system is technically viable for further development. However, as all the reports we could find indicate, this trial launch has not yet taken place – the most recent article from Japanese sources published on 12 February 2026 only notes that it is “scheduled to be launched in fiscal 2026.”
While there is optimism about the potential of space-based solar power to provide a clean source of energy to earth on a large scale, other reports (such as one by NASA in 2024) point out that the technology still has some ways to go before becoming viable due to factors such as high costs and ensuring safe power transmission.
Further, while the OHISAMA trial (if successful) would be the first in the world to deliver “usable electricity” to earth at “meaningful levels,” a team from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) already launched a similar trial in 2023 where an extremely small amount of power was successfully transmitted from orbit to earth. The claim posts appear to have cherry-picked the “world first” descriptor from more accurate articles (where the “first” part is correctly qualified and explained) and used it misleadingly in headlines.
Therefore, details from certain planned initiatives have been inaccurately used to create headlines that are not true. Japan has not become the first country to generate electricity in space and send it back down to earth. The Japanese initiative planning to do so has not yet been launched, and the first successful transmission of electricity from space to earth was conducted in 2023 by from the California Institute of Technology. We give this claim a rating of false.
We noticed this claim being spread around social media in high volumes through “breaking news” or “science facts” accounts– particularly on Instagram and Facebook. While not providing solid facts or links to official sources, these posts use graphics and assertive statements to get views and comments despite not being based on accurate facts.
While such posts (with eye-catching visuals and the claim text included in the image) are easy to share and repost, it is also important to carry out quick fact-checks before circulating them to prevent the rapid spread of misinformation.
