Solar Cells and Arrays of Space Application

Space PV

— Activity on PV started in NPP «Kvant» for spacecrafts in 1957.

— The first PV SA for SC was developed in 1958 (on 3-d artificial earth satellite).

— For today «Kvant» developed and manufactured nearly 2000 SA for SC.

SA Application by NPP «Kvant» Developments

— Orbital station: «Salut», «Mir», ISS series;

— Automatic inter-planet spacecrafts: Venus, Mars, Fobos;

— Automatic inter-planet station «Venus»;

— «Moon Rover-1», «Moon Rover-2».

«Kvant» Modern Projects in Space PV

— ISS: Russian segment consisting of modules «Zarya» and «Zvezda» with bifacial sensitivity SC

— Large GEO platforms (Sesat, Expresses A&AM, Kazsat and other).

— SC for remote Earth probing and meteorology (Monitor-E, Meteor-3 and others).

«Kvant» SA General Characteristics

General Characteristics	Monocrystalline Si	GalnP2-GalnAs-Ge Tripple-junction	Si Amorphous
SA specific power under АМО, 25°С in the optimum point, JVC, W/m²	200	~350	90-100
SA specific power under АМО, 60ºС in the optimum point JVC , W/m²	165-170	~320	80-90
Specific mass (on photo-forming part without frame), kg/m²: — mesh substrate — honeycomb substrate	1,7-1,85 1,4-1,5	1,9 1,6	0,3
Degradation of operation current for lifetime, %  — 10 years GEO  — 10 years LEO  — 10 years elleptical and  intermediate orbits	20 20 30	15 15 25	~7% Radiation Degradation