On January 29th, 2013, EMCORE Corp. (Albuquerque, New Mexico, US) announced that it has delivered its 1 millionth high-efficiency, multi-junction solar photovoltaic (PV) cell to Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), which will ultimately represent more than one megawatt (MW) of solar power generation capacity delivered into space.

"Delivering 1 million solar cells for more than 50 successful satellite launches by Space Systems/Loral is a tremendous milestone for EMCORE and our space satellite solar business," EMCORE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hong Hou stated.

The companies will hold a special event at EMCORE's Albuquerque facilities during the week of February 25th with a commemorative award symbolizing the 1 millionth solar cell.

Solar cells for spacecraft programs

EMCORE has been supplying solar cells to Space Systems/Loral for more than 10 years, and in May 2009 announced a long term supply agreement with Space Systems/Loral to continue manufacturing and delivering solar cells for their spacecraft programs through 2014.

EMCORE's multi-junction solar cells have a beginning-of-life (BOL) conversion efficiency nearing 30% and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode to provide the highest available power to interplanetary spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.

"We are especially proud to have achieved this milestone with our solar cells meeting all requirements for performance and reliability. We are delighted and very grateful to continue this relationship, and we look forward to working with Space Systems/Loral to power their satellite missions for many years to come," Hou added.

2013-02-01 | Courtesy: EMCORE | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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