Six other Airbus Sparkwing solar arrays have been selected by Aerospacelab to accommodate their ramp-up to higher satellite production volumes. The panels are designed and produced at the Dutch site of Airbus in Leiden. The ordered configuration, consisting of two single-panel wings each measuring 1070x570mm, is identical to the set recently delivered by Airbus for Aerospacelab’s first Very High Resolution (VHR) mission flight model.
The rigidity of the concept of solar panels for small satellites is essential for Aerospacelab’s VHR mission, which requires great agility and stability of the platform because it allows to obtain higher quality images in faster succession. This functionality is brought by a cleverly designed hinge that offers a high rigidity design in a very small volume.
Additionally, the minimal integration effort needed for the solar panels is an asset in the satellite assembly and integration flow, especially during the planned production ramp-up in the mega-factory that Aerospacelab opened in Belgium this summer.
Rob Postma, Chief Executive Office of Airbus Defense and Space Netherlands: “We are happy to see the first customer of this product coming back for a follow-up order. This confirms that the delivery of our initial flight model was well received. see that our catalog approach for small satellites, strong supply chain support and short turnaround times, reduces risk to our customer and produces a reliable solution. This proves that our fully qualified product can deliver on its promise of “space made easy”. . We look forward to extending our good relationship with Aerospacelab for continued collaboration.”
Established in Belgium, Switzerland and France, Aerospacelab is a growing company created in 2018, with more than 140 full-time employees. With a unique vertically integrated approach, Aerospacelab specializes in satellite platforms and geospatial intelligence. It designs, manufactures and operates constellations of remote sensing satellites, enhancing intelligence and knowledge through its proprietary satellite data.
“The cleverly designed solar panel concept helps Aerospacelab achieve affordable, high-performance satellite manufacturing. The pragmatic approach was in line with our mass production goals, so we are very grateful to be able to have Sparkwing for the next six sets of flights. “, said Benoit Deper, founder and CEO of Aerospacelab. “We have been impressed with Airbus’ ability to produce off-the-shelf, off-the-shelf solar panels for small LEO satellites, and look forward to a fruitful relationship.”
Rob Postma, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space Netherlands, and Benoit Deper, Founder and CEO of Aerospacelab with the first flight model of Sparkwing solar panels for Aerospacelab Photo: Airbus Defense and Space Netherlands
Sparkwing is the world’s first commercially available solar array for small satellites. It is optimized for low earth orbit missions that require power levels between 100W and 2000W. It offers customers a choice of over thirty different panel sizes, configurable as deployable wings with one, two or three panels per wing.
Besides power generation, the solar generator product offers high rigidity, unique actuation requirement (due to only one hold per wing), minimal integration effort (made for customer integration ) and moderate demands on spacecraft sidewall tolerances. Sparkwing is a product developed by Airbus Defense and Space Netherlands BV, with support from the Netherlands Space Office and ESA.
Related links
Airbus Defense and Space Netherlands BV
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Airbus Ventures leads Solestial’s oversubscribed $10 million seed round
Menlo Park CA (SPX) Oct 13, 2022
Airbus Ventures announces its newest lead investment in Solestial, Inc. (“Solestial”), the space solar energy company. The round has been joined by AEI HorizonX, GPVC, Stellar Ventures, Industrious Ventures and others. This new funding will be used to increase production and customer engagement capabilities as the company expands ground and flight testing in parallel; additional investments in R&D and go-to-market functions are also planned. Solestial’s solar panels can be produced on a large scale… Read more