News Article
Emcore wins $5 million contract to power AMOS-6 satellite
The firm's III-V ZTJ solar cells will provide steerable Ku-band with Pan-European and Middle East coverage and broadband services in Africa and Europe
Emcore wins $5 million contract to power AMOS-6 satellite
Emcore Corporation has been awarded a solar panel manufacturing contract by ATK for the AMOS-6 commercial telecommunications satellite planned for launch in early 2015.
Solar panels populated with Emcore's most advanced ZTJ triple-junction solar cells will power the AMOS-6 spacecraft manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
ZTJ solar cell structure
AMOS-6, operated by Spacecom, is to be co-located at the 4˚W orbital position with AMOS-2 and AMOS-3.
It will provide steerable Ku-band with Pan-European and Middle East coverage, and a Ka-band beam for broadband services in Africa and Europe.
The AMOS satellite fleet, beginning with the AMOS-1 in 1996, provides broadcasting and communications services to Direct-To-Home television operators, TV broadcasters and programmers, government and corporate organisations, and VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) network operators.
ZTJ space solar panel
"We are excited about this opportunity to adapt our space-proven modular PUMA array, from GPS IIF and Orbital's Star2 GEO line, to provide power to IAI's AMOS-6 satellite for Spacecom," says Dave Messner, Vice President and General Manager of ATK Deployables business in Goleta, California.
"We look forward to delivering over 10kW of end-of-life power using Emcore's solar cell technology to enable another successful satellite mission."
"This is an important award for Emcore. The manufacture of the AMOS-6 solar panels will reinforce our heritage in the telecom satellite business and allow us to pursue future opportunities in that market," continues Brad Clevenger, General Manager of Emcore's Photovoltaics Division.
"Emcore greatly values our long-standing business relationship with ATK, and we are extremely honoured to receive this award. We look forward to working with ATK on the AMOS-6 mission."
With a Beginning-Of-Life (BOL) conversion efficiency nearing 30 percent and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode, Emcore's multi-junction solar cells provide very high power to interplanetary spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.
