Additional Roll-Out Solar Arrays for ISS Ordered from RedWire
Two additional Roll-Out Solar Arrays for ISS will be delivered by RedWire under a follow-on contract from Boeing. The announcement follows the successful deployment of the sixth Redwire-built array on the space station.
“The six IROSAs installed on the ISS are innovative examples to support further utilization with technologies and systems that were not envisioned when the ISS was designed and built.”
John Mulholland, Boeing
The follow-on order from Boeing extends the contract to deliver six IROSAs, which were developed in partnership with Boeing’s Spectrolab and delivered to NASA under contract with Boeing, NASA’s prime contractor for space station operations.
“We are proud of the successful deployment of six IROSAs on the ISS to date, making it the gold standard for large-scale power generation with proven flight heritage. The continuation of the program with the award of an additional two IROSAs, bringing the total to eight arrays, is a testament to the excellence and dedication of our team and the coordination amongst our suppliers and partners,” said Peter Cannito, Redwire Chairman and CEO.
Additional Roll-Out Solar Arrays will Boost Power Available to the Station
Since 2021, a total of six Redwire-built arrays have been developed, delivered, and deployed on the ISS, augmenting its critical power supply. Each wing provides an additional 20+ kW of power once deployed, and with these additional roll-out solar arrays, all eight IROSA wings combined will provide more than 160 kW for over 10 years.
“The six IROSAs installed on the ISS are innovative examples to support further utilization with technologies and systems that were not envisioned when the ISS was designed and built,” said John Mulholland, Boeing vice president and program manager for the ISS. “It is a tribute to the performance of the design, build, and operational teams that NASA has contracted for two additional arrays to complete the upgrade to the full eight-array set.”
Redwire has continued to advance ROSA technology to power other spaceflight platforms and ambitious missions with reliable and stable power solutions. Redwire is currently building ROSA for the Power and Propulsion Element for NASA’s Gateway program, a part of the agency’s Artemis program, and Astrobotic’s Lunar Vertical Solar Array program, which aims to provide sustainable power on the lunar surface. Along with its previous success on the ISS, ROSA technology powered NASA’s DART spacecraft to impact asteroid Dimorphos, successfully altering the asteroid’s orbit in September 2022.
(Source: RedWire news release. Images from file)