Development of Flexible Thin-Film Photovoltaic Arrays for Nanosat Applications

Space Industries has supported on-going internal development of a ''Nanosat'' spacecraft for a variety of missions. An essential part of any small spacecraft effort is an efficient power system. Amorphous thin-film silicon photovoltaic provide a mass efficiency greater than other photovoltaic systems. In cooperation with the Microelectronics Research Center at Iowa State University, Space Industries has undertaken a development effort to assess the potential of utilizing amorphous thinfilm silicon photovoltaics on small spacecraft. An overview of the development of a prototype unit will be presented along with results from ground testing. Projections for utilization of this technology in a flight system will also be presented.