Flight test of solar array concentrator on mightysat II.1

摘要

As part of the experiment suite on Mightysat II.1, a Solar Array Concentrator (SAC) panel was flown. The SAC experiment uses the Light Concentrating Panel (LCP) technology, an orthogrid arrangement of ultra-lightweight composite mirror strips that form an array of rectangular mirror troughs to reflect light onto standard, high-efficiency solar cells at a concentration ratio of approximately 3:1. The solar cells are mounted onto a flat, high-conductivity composite laminate with a co-cured Kapton flex-circuit. The mirror strips also provide structural rigidity, essentially replacing the honeycomb substrate usually used on planar photovoltaic panels with an orthogrid "superstrate." The design and analysis of the SAC module is described, and the data from the first eight months in orbit is analyzed.