News

16 November 2009

 

Emcore wins Dutch Space PV contract for Cygnus spacecraft

Emcore Corp of Albuquerque, NM, USA, which manufactures components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber-optic, and solar power markets, has won a contract from Dutch Space of Leiden, The Netherlands to manufacture, test, and deliver the solar panels to power the Cygnus spacecraft being developed by Orbital Sciences Corp for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) project. With all options exercized, the total value of the contract would be in excess of $15m.

Under the CRS project, Orbital will carry out eight pressurized space cargo missions from early 2011 through 2015 to provide a US-produced and operated automated cargo delivery service to the International Space Station (ISS). An initial demonstration flight will be part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project, which provided NASA incentives to the developing commercial launch services industry.

The solar panels for Dutch Space will use Emcore’s ZTJ solar cells which, with a conversion efficiency of 30%, are claimed to be the highest-performance space-qualified multi-junction solar cell available.

“From our joint experience on NASA’s Dawn interplanetary project, which included Orbital as the prime contractor, we know that collaborating with Emcore results in first-class technology tailored to specific needs,” says Dutch Space’s CEO Bart Reijnen. “Their contribution to the solar arrays for the Cygnus spacecrafts will provide the highest available efficiency, optimized for the mission.”

“This is a reformation of the team that successfully collaborated on NASA’s DAWN mission, which is currently powering the spacecraft on its voyage to the Asteroid Belt,” says Emcore’s CEO Christopher Larocca. The latest award paves the way for more future partnerships with Dutch Space, he reckons.

See related items:

Emcore lands $17m satellite solar deal

Emcore secures long-term contract to supply Space Systems Loral with III-Vs-based multi-junction solar cells

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Visit: www.emcore.com

Visit: www.dutchspace.nl