Presentation Details
| Large Area Ultra-Light Environmental Protection for Space Solar Arrays Pilar Espinet Gonzalez, Yao Lao, Alejandro Hernandez. The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA, USA |
Abstract
Solar cells in space are shielded with coverglass to protect them from the harsh space environment. The main purpose of the coverglass is to extend the solar cell lifetime by reducing the fluence of extremely damaging high-energy particles. The standard cerium-doped coverglass and the high-purity silicone used in the assembly of space solar arrays have proven to be a robust architecture with minimal degradation. However, the adhesion of the coverglass to the solar cell represents a low-throughput step in the assembly process, impacting both manufacturing volume and the final cost of the solar array. In this work, alternative, lower-cost protective materials that can enable large-area coverage, faster throughput, and reduced assembly costs were evaluated. The testing design, protocols, and results for both commercially available materials and products under development, assessed under conditions of atomic oxygen, gamma radiation, proton radiation, and vacuum UV exposure, are presented. The impact of using these different materials on single-junction and multijunction solar cells is summarized. Three different films have been identified as potential alternative protective materials that can enable low-cost solar array manufacturing.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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