12.04.17
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. announced that the company has fulfilled a third order from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for custom PV products designed specifically for JAXA’s upcoming solar sail deployment demonstration project.
In this most recent purchase, JAXA placed the entire order, comprising of small area test cells and large, 19.5cm x 30cm monolithically-integrated modules, all on a very thin, 25 micron (0.001 inch) plastic substrate. which is half the thickness of Ascent’s production substrate for standard product. JAXA placed this order after achieving the desired experimental results from previous shipments and subsequent electrical, mechanical and environmental testing.
The deployment project is the next milestone of JAXA’s evaluations of Ascent’s PV in providing solar power for an upcoming mission to Jupiter and additional challenging missions under consideration. The company’s flexible, monolithically integrated copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar module continued to operate well when being tested and subjected to the environmental extremes anticipated in deep space with significantly reduced solar insolation.
“JAXA’s Jovian mission is a testament to the advancements being made in orbit, both in terms of its objectives, as well as the extremes in which the vehicle is required to operate,” said Dr. Joseph Armstrong, CTO and founding member of Ascent Solar.
In this most recent purchase, JAXA placed the entire order, comprising of small area test cells and large, 19.5cm x 30cm monolithically-integrated modules, all on a very thin, 25 micron (0.001 inch) plastic substrate. which is half the thickness of Ascent’s production substrate for standard product. JAXA placed this order after achieving the desired experimental results from previous shipments and subsequent electrical, mechanical and environmental testing.
The deployment project is the next milestone of JAXA’s evaluations of Ascent’s PV in providing solar power for an upcoming mission to Jupiter and additional challenging missions under consideration. The company’s flexible, monolithically integrated copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar module continued to operate well when being tested and subjected to the environmental extremes anticipated in deep space with significantly reduced solar insolation.
“JAXA’s Jovian mission is a testament to the advancements being made in orbit, both in terms of its objectives, as well as the extremes in which the vehicle is required to operate,” said Dr. Joseph Armstrong, CTO and founding member of Ascent Solar.