News Article
Emcore Awarded $10 Million Solar Contract by NASA
The MMS mission will power four spacecrafts with Emcore's highest efficiency ZTJ solar cells.
Emcore, a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optic and solar power markets has been awarded a contract by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland to manufacture, test, and deliver solar panels for the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. The contract, with options, is valued at approximately $10 million.
Emcore expects to deliver a total of 32 solar panels using its ZTJ solar cells to power 4 separate MMS spacecrafts. With a sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency nearing 30%, the ZTJ solar cell is one of the highest performance space qualified multi-junction solar cells available in the market today. Production of the solar panels will take place at Emcore's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"This NASA contract is a significant award for Emcore," said Christopher Larocca, Chief Operating Officer of Emcore. "Under a previous contract, we successfully delivered solar panels for NASA GSFC's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, which is currently powering the spacecraft orbiting the Moon. Winning this new contract accelerates Emcore's efforts to be the premier supplier of solar panels for demanding spacecraft power systems."
Emcore is one of the world's largest manufacturers of highly efficient radiation hard solar cells for space power applications. With a beginning-of-life (BOL) conversion efficiency of 30% and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode, Emcore's industry leading multi-junction solar cells can provide the highest available power to interplanetary spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.
Emcore Corporation offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based products for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite and solar power markets. The firm’s Fiber Optic segment offers optical components, subsystems and systems for high speed data and telecommunications networks, cable television (CATV) and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). Its photovoltaic segment provides products for both satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, Emcore offers high efficiency Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar cells, Covered Interconnect Cells (CICs) and panels. For terrestrial applications, Emcore is adapting its high-efficiency GaAs solar cells for use in solar concentrator systems.
