Solar array to power smaller GEO satellites

Artist’s impression of SRA on a small GEO platform.
The ESA-supported Surrey Rigid Array (SRA) development project at SSTL completed its Manufacturing Kick-Off Review at Airborne Composites in Holland on 15th May. The review followed on from a successful Critical Design Review (CDR) with ESA in February and marked the initiation of the manufacture of the full size solar array panels. Upon completion of the panel manufacture and acceptance testing, the panels will be ready for solar cell lay-down and the subsequent environmental test campaign.

The Surrey Rigid Array is precisely engineered for high energy output, and crucially, low weight. The carbon fibre / aluminium sandwich panels are produced in a clean room environment and cured in the Airborne autoclave at the Ypenburg, The Hague facility.

SRA is partially funded by ESA’s Advanced Research in TElecommunications Systems funding stream 4 (ARTES 4) initiative aimed at supporting developments within industry that are close to market. The project addresses the design, analysis, manufacture and test of a solar array suitable for small Geostationary (GEO) satellite platforms with a 7 year mission lifetime requiring 1kW minimum power generation.

This entry was posted by Robin Wolstenholme on Wednesday, May 30. 2007 at 16:21. and is filed under Cooperation, Technology. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own blog. All new comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.
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