HIGHLY EFFICIENT, ULTRA-COMPACT SOLAR ARRAY EXPRO+

Objective: To develop solar arrays capable of high power (10s of kW) maximising figures of merit in terms of W/kg and W/m3, and develop dedicated deployment mechanisms to be used on planetary/lunar surfaces.Description: Exploration missions are going to requirehigh power but at the same time it is going to have strong limitations in volume and mass for the solar generator subsystem. Therefore, new innovative concepts must be developed to increase significantly the power per stowed volume. This asks for highest efficientsolar cells in combination with ultra lightweight and compact solar arrays including potentially new deployment mechanisms and photovoltaic assembly technologies. In addition, applications on planetary or lunar surfaces require dedicated solutions which address different constraints than deployments in space. In this activity a concept of solar array with a high stowed volume per power ratioand high power per area is developed. This concept makes use of highly efficient solar cells in combination with an ultra-compact andvery light structure and mechanisms. The activity encompasses the following tasks: - Definition of ultra-compact solar array concepts targeting figures of merit of 200 W/kg and 60 kW/m3 bringing together highly efficient, ultra-thin solar cells and flexible modular photovoltaic assembly technologies. - Definition of solar array concepts and respective deployment strategies and mechanisms for applications on planetary or lunar surfaces. - Definition of technology building blocks. - Development of prototype components and breadboards - Manufacturing and testing of prototype components and breadboards.