Video Transcript
A breakthrough in the manufacturing of solar energy cells could help make future satellite operations much more affordable, its developers say.
The Australian Space Agency recently outlined work on a more cost-effective solar cell conducted by Extraterrestrial Power, a Sydney company that says it aims to deliver affordable power to humans in space.
Specifically, that would mean slashing the costs of the solar energy systems that have powered spacecraft since the dawn of space exploration in the mid-20th century.
Unlike the cells on solar farms or residential roofs, space-grade solar cells need to be able to withstand the extreme temperatures, radiation, and vacuum conditions of space. Conventional cell production processes limit how thick the silicon can be — and require a costly and low-volume process to reinforce it for space.
Extraterrestrial Power, however, successfully developed a space-grade cell that was thin enough to be made just like terrestrial cells — making them about 10 times more affordable than conventional space cells.
The company has already tested its cells on missions to space in 2023 and 2024, and bringing the method up to scale could help facilitate a new era of satellite-based technologies and capabilities.
Officials also suggested that a less-intensive manufacturing process could one day allow humans stationed on the moon long-term to produce their own cells for power using the metals found in lunar soil.
