Lightweight Mirrors Enhance Power Generation Near Gas Giants
PROJECT Extreme Environments Solar Power (EESP) Project demonstration of Transformational Array elements on DART SNAPSHOT The EESP Project is developing advanced solar cell and concentrator technology that will be flight-tested on the upcoming DART mission. The Transformational Array containing this new technology is designed to yield improved performance in the extreme environments encountered by missions exploring destinations like Jupiter and Saturn. Spacecraft frequently employ solar cells and arrays to collect energy from the Sun to power onboard systems. But just like any other spacecraft system, these cells and arrays must be capable of operating in the harsh environments that their host satellite encounters. The Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) Planetary Science Division is funding an effort conducted by the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s (STMD) Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) to develop solar cell and array technologies with improved performance in low intensity, low temperature (LILT) environments like those around Jupiter and Saturn. Near Jupiter, such...