Ascent Solar Technologies (Nasdaq: ASTI) has announced that the Companys solar module products will fly on NASAs upcoming Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and AnTenna (LISA-T) mission, scheduled for launch this summer.
The mission, led by NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate and the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, will demonstrate the capability to deploy large-area arrays on lightweight, low-cost and small spacecraft.
LISA-T is the fourth mission in NASAs Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series of missions evaluating novel, small spacecraft capabilities on orbit. Managed by NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, these demonstration missions facilitate the direct infusion of new technologies into the agencys future science and exploration missions.
LISA-T (PTD-4)s solar arrays are lower mass and stowed volume, and produce three times more power than alternative PV solutions traded within the system envelope. PTD-4s deployable solar arrays are designed to scale larger than the missions CubeSat form factor with options capable of generating kilowatts of power to small spacecraft.
Leading up to this spacecraft demonstration, Ascents PV products were previously evaluated on the International Space Station. Modules tested on NASAs MISSE-X experiment validated the resilience of the companys CIGS material in the space environment, both bare and encapsulated. Additional Ascent modules with lower-cost and lighter-weight laminates are being evaluated on the upcoming MISSE payload slated to fly on SpaceXs 30th Commercial Resupply Mission to the space station scheduled for March.
Selection for this upcoming space mission is the culmination of years of Ascents work with NASA to optimize the PV modules that enabled LISA-Ts ambitious spacecraft mass and power budgets to close, said Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies. This mission will demonstrate that previously unachievable spacecraft requirements can in fact be met. It also provides a shining example of the benefits of public-private partnerships that leverage new and innovative commercial technologies, as NASA programs like MISSE & PTD lead the way for even more capable spacecraft for government and commercial space missions. The modules developed for LISA-T informed the design of Ascents Titan line of space products, facilitating further maximization of power generation to the extent that spacecraft can produce kilowatts per kilogram of array in the space environment with minimal degradation over the life of the mission.
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