US Space Force To Test New Tough-As-Nails Solar Array
Regardless of the sudden shift in US energy policy, the global space race will continue, and the US Space Force aims to run with the frontrunners. Space Force is putting up $2 million to test a new, lightweight, redeployable LightWing orbiting solar array from the materials startup Atomic-6, which claims four times more power per kilogram than conventional arrays.
US Space Force Seeks More And Better Solar Power
As a relatively new branch of the US Armed Services, Space Force has some catching up to do on the solar technology side. Other branches have a long head start on photovoltaic R&D, particularly the US Air Force. Nevertheless, solar power is the engine that drives much of the day-to-day business of outer space, which places it front and center in the Space Force wheelhouse.
One sign of activity emerged last September, when the Space Force partnered with the Air Force Research Laboratory to launch a new grant program under the umbrella of the US Space Force University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 3. The consortium is tasked with developing new space power and propulsion technologies, including next-generation solar cells.
To start things off, Space Force and Air Force tapped the Rochester Institute of Technology for a $9.9 million grant and the University of Michigan for $34.9 million, assigning each to assemble collaborative academic and industry teams.
In October, the University of Buffalo also announced that the Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory partnered to provide the school with a $9.9 million grant aimed at developing new PV systems for space-based devices, including satellites. The grant focuses on perovskites, a promising but finicky new PV material (see more perovskite background here).
Organizing For Innovation Acceleration
If you’re wondering why there is a “3” at the end of “US Space Force University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 3,” that’s a good question. The Space Force is barely six years old, but it has already established the Technology Institute program as an accelerated innovation pathway, leveraging the nation’s considerable academic research resources. The first Technology Institute launched in FY23 with a $6.4 million grant focused on challenges in the area of geostationary orbit and space domain. In FY24, Space Force followed up with a $49.1 million grant for round two, zeroing in on space access, mobility, and logistics.
“Space Force envisions the institutes, in partnership with the USSF operational community, will facilitate and focus joint applied research on emerging transformational space domain technology breakthroughs and developments that lead to the advancement of capabilities that can be transitioned and integrated into current and future USSF and U.S. government space architecture,” Space Force explains, noting that the program aims to propel early-stage research into the next steps, including high fidelity modeling and simulations, demonstrations, and prototypes.
A New Tough-As-Nails Solar Array
Space Force is also reaching outside of the Technology Institute program for new space-based solutions, and that’s where Atomic-6 comes in. The firm is focused like a thousand points of light on its signature product, a super light, super strong composite that enables space solar arrays to extend and retract seamlessly through multiple occasions.
“Revolutionizing solar array deployment, the Light Wing’s simple, low-part-count architecture and monostable composite hinges deliver unparalleled reliability,” Atomic-6 says of itself.
The Georgia-based firm emailed CleanTechnica last week with a heads-up on its new $2 million award, provided through the Space Force Space Systems Command’s Tactical Funding Increase program.
“As testament to the Light Wing’s reliability, a space insurance consortium led by Price Forbes is considering lowering premiums for missions using the array, as they’re less likely to face the number one cause of premature satellite mortality: deployment failure,” Atomic explained in a press statement.
“This unique design enables new frontiers in Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) maneuvers, allowing arrays to retract and redeploy as needed throughout a satellite’s operational lifespan,” the company added.
Next Steps For Space Solar …
The 21-month grant tasks Atomic-6 with fine-tuning and qualifying the Light Wing solar array for both commercial and defense applications. Atomic-6 lists composite coupon testing, cell compatibility demonstration, and Thermal Vacuum and Vibe testing among the paces through which it will put the array.
“The all-composite, lightweight, redeployable satellite power system delivers over 4-times more power per kilogram than existing arrays, enabling energy-intensive operations such as orbital compute, high-bandwidth communications, and human habitation space stations,” Atomic-6 emphasizes.
Space Force is not the only one to eyeball Atomic-6’s new composite. The company states that it has contract requests totaling $2.7 billion in its pipeline, and it has been tapped by the Florida-based defense and commercial firm Sidus Space to provide solar power for data centers orbiting the Moon.
That’s right, they said data centers orbiting the Moon. This will be a world’s first if they can beat everyone else to the buzzer, so let’s take a closer look at that project. On June 23, Sidus Space announced the next step in its ongoing, $120 million partnership with Lonestar Data Holdings, aimed at building the Moon’s first data center constellation.
“Atomic-6 has been selected to supply its Light Wing™ solar arrays which are expected to power Sidus’ LizzieSat® satellites supporting Lonestar’s cislunar data storage constellation,” Sidus explained, with cislunar referring to the sunlit side of the moon.
“Sidus’ versatile LizzieSat® platform offers a scalable solution for complex missions beyond low Earth orbit, including future lunar operations. The Company’s end-to-end capabilities, from design and integration to launch and operations, are being applied to support Lonestar’s phased deployment of resilient cislunar data infrastructure,” Sidus added.
… But Why?
As for why go through all the trouble and expense of launching data centers up in orbit to the Moon, one explanation is the constant, reliable, 24/7 availability of solar power regardless of weather conditions on Earth. The solar perk is available to Earth-orbiting satellites as well, but the Moon offers an extra layer of security.
“The constellation aims to deliver secure, tamper-resistant data storage, immune to threats such as natural disasters, geopolitical instability, and cyberattacks,” Sidus notes.
If the idea of sending data centers flying out into space seems, well, spacey, it’s not. Among other stakeholders in the field, the Seattle-adjacent firm Lumen Orbit has developed a white paper explaining the flying data center concept in detail.
Another twist on the space solar concept involves Earth-orbiting satellites that beam solar energy down to terrestrial receivers. Last year, NASA stated that its mission does not cover R&D in that field, but the US Air Force is in the running and the Space Force has a hand in the effort, too.
Image (screenshot): A new durable, lightweight space solar array from the US startup Atomic-6 is getting a workout from the US Space Force (courtesy of Atomic-6).
Sign up for CleanTechnica's Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott's in-depth analyses and high level summaries, sign up for our daily newsletter, and follow us on Google News!
Whether you have solar power or not, please complete our latest solar power survey.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one on top stories of the week if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica's Comment Policy
