Solar panels populated with Emcore’s most advanced ZTJ triple-junction solar cells will power the ICESat-2 spacecraft manufactured by Orbital.
ICESat-2 builds on measurements taken by NASA’s original ICESat mission. ICESat was the benchmark Earth Observing System mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance, cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics. Data from ICESat, which was in orbit from 2003 to 2010, revealed thinning of the world’s ice sheets. ICESat-2 will use precision laser-ranging techniques to measure the topography of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and the thickness of sea ice.
“This award for ICESat-2 continues the strong partnership between Orbital Sciences Corporation and Emcore,” said Brad Clevenger, General Manager of Emcore’s Photovoltaics Group. “Our proven manufacturing capability, technology leadership and solar panel reliability make Emcore the supplier of choice for demanding spacecraft power systems.”
Emcore is the world’s leading manufacturer of highly-efficient radiation-hard solar cells for space power applications. With a Beginning-Of-Life (BOL) conversion efficiency nearing 30% and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode, Emcore’s industry-leading multi-junction solar cells provide the highest available power to interplanetary spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.
About Emcore
Emcore Corporation offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based products for the fiber optics and solar power markets. Emcore’s Fiber Optics business segment provides optical components, subsystems and systems for high-speed telecommunications, Cable Television (CATV) and Fiber-To-The-Premise (FTTP) networks, as well as products for satellite communications, video transport and specialty photonics technologies for defense and homeland security applications. Emcore’s Solar Photovoltaics business segment provides products for space power applications including high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells, Covered Interconnect Cells (CICs) and complete satellite solar panels.
About Orbital Sciences Corporation
As the industry leader in small- and medium-class space and rocket systems, Orbital Sciences Corporation provides a complete set of reliable, cost-effective products including satellites for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), communications and broadcasting, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft that perform remote sensing and scientific research, spacecraft used for national security missions, and planetary probes to explore deep space. In addition, Orbital provides full service engineering, production and technical services for NASA, DoD, commercial and academic space programs.
(source: Emcore)