News Article
EMCORE Awarded a Solar Cell Delivery Contract by Mitsubishi Electric
High-Efficiency Solar Cells Will Power Four Satellites
EMCORE Corporation , a provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fibre optic and solar power markets, has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (tokyo:6503), Japan to manufacture, test, and deliver high-efficiency solar cells for the TURKSAT 4A, TURKSAT 4B, Himawari-8 and Himawari-9 satellites. Production of the space-qualified multi-junction solar cells will take place at EMCORE's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Mitsubishi Electric is currently under contract with the TURKSAT A.S to manufacture the TURKSAT 4A and TURKSAT 4B commercial telecommunication satellites based on its highly successful DS-2000 satellite platform. Mitsubishi Electric is also under contract to build the Himawari-8 and Himawari-9 geostationary satellites for the Japan Meteorological Agency.
"We appreciate Mitsubishi Electric's confidence in EMCORE's capability to manufacture and deliver the solar cells for the stringent requirements of these missions," said Christopher Larocca, Chief Operating Officer of EMCORE. "EMCORE has successfully delivered solar cells to Mitsubishi Electric under several previous contracts for other satellite missions, and we look forward to supporting Mitsubishi Electric with their future space power requirements," he added.
EMCORE is a leading manufacturer of highly efficient radiation-hard solar cells for space power applications. With a beginning-of-life (BOL) conversion efficiency in the order 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 space crafts and earth-orbiting satellites.
