Advanced solar panel designs

Solar panel designs that utilize new high-efficiency solar cells and lightweight rigid panel technologies are described. The resulting designs increase the specific power (W/kg) achievable in the near-term and are well suited to meet the demands of higher performance small satellites (smallsats). Advanced solar panel designs have developed and demonstrated on two NASA contracts at TECSTAR. The first used 19% efficient, large area (5.5 cm×6.5 cm) GaAs/Ge solar cells with a lightweight rigid graphite epoxy isogrid substrate configuration. A 1,445 cm² coupon was fabricated and tested to demonstrate 60 W/kg with a high potential of achieving 80 W/kg. The second panel design used new 22% efficiency, dual-junction GaInP₂/GaAs/Ge solar cells combined with a lightweight aluminum core graphite fiber mesh facesheet substrate. A 1,445 cm² coupon was fabricated and tested to demonstrate 105 W/kg with the potential of achieving 115 W/kg