12 January 2011

Emcore wins $10m solar panel contract from NASA

Emcore Corp of Albuquerque, NM, USA, which makes components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber-optic, and solar power markets, says that NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) of Greenbelt, MD, USA has awarded it a contract worth about $10m (including options) to manufacture, test and deliver solar panels for the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission.

Emcore expects to deliver a total of 32 solar panels using its third-generation triple-junction (ZTJ) indium gallium phosphide/indium gallium arsenide/germanium (InGaP/InGaAs/Ge) solar cells to power four separate MMS spacecraft. With a sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency nearing 30%, the ZTJ solar cell is claimed to be one of the highest-performance space-qualified multi-junction solar cells available on the market.

“Under a previous contract, we successfully delivered solar panels for NASA GSFC’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, which is currently powering the spacecraft orbiting the Moon,” says Emcore’s chief operating officer Christopher Larocca. “Winning this new contract accelerates Emcore’s efforts to be the premier supplier of solar panels for demanding spacecraft power systems,” he adds.

Emcore claims to be the world’s largest manufacturer of highly efficient radiation-hard solar cells for space power applications. With a beginning-of-life (BOL) conversion efficiency of 30% and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode, its multi-junction solar cells can provide the power needed for interplanetary spacecraft and Earth-orbiting satellites.

See related items:

Emcore awarded $5m PV contract for NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement spacecraft

Tags: Emcore Solar panel NASA

Visit: www.emcore.com