AFRL thin-film photovoltaics DSX and roadrunner flight experiments

Thin-film solar cells offer great promise for increasing the capability of future spacecraft. While their efficiencies are low compared to state of the art crystalline solar cells, they have unique attributes that make them very attractive for space use. These attributes include flexibility, low mass, and low cost production. The attractive attributes of thin-film solar cells will go untapped until space environmental effects on them are well understood. Therefore, on-orbit testing of thin-film solar cells, coupled with ground testing, is needed to provide the data to determine space environmental effects. In response to the need to perform on-orbit testing of thin-film solar cells, the Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is preparing two flight experiments. The first will be on the AFRL Roadrunner Mission (Experimental Solar Array) and the second will be on the AFRL Deployable Structures Experiment (Thin-Film Photovoltaics Experiment).