EMCORE, a supplier of compound semiconductor-based subsystems and components for use in solar power and fiber optic markets declared that it has received a contract from Greenbelt, Maryland-located ASRC Research and Technology Solutions (ARTS), for the design, production and supply of solar panels needed for the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission of NASA Ames.
EMCORE offers Satellite Solar Panels that are fully tested and wired for integration into solar array assemblies. Credit: EMCORE
LADEE is an unmanned robotic managed mission that has been designed to orbit around the moon. The mission has been planned with the key objective to research and portray the characteristics of the lunar atmosphere, which includes the fine floating dust particles over the lunar surface. The lunar mission spacecraft is anticipated to be launched during the early part of 2013 from Wallops Island, Virginia-located Wallops flight facility.
The spacecraft will use the Minotaur V vehicle during the launch. EMCORE will manufacture and supply 32 solar panels needed for the LADEE mission from its latest production plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico.The solar cells feature high-efficiency and can withstand high radiation levels and as they have been fabricated exclusively for space power usages, they are offered with a beginning-of-life (BOL) solar power conversion efficiency of around 30%. Its patent-protected monolithic bypass diode can be selectively used aboard. The multi-junction solar cells provided by the company supply the highest level of power needed for the maneuver of the spacecraft that orbits around the planets.