Solar Blankets to be Provided to Atmos by Solestial

A multi-mission sales agreement for solar blankets has been reached between Atmos and Solestial.

"We were attracted to Solestial's solution as they provided the best combination of solar array specific mass performance, radiation hardness, and affordability."

Stan Herasimenka, Solestial

Under the agreement, Solestial will provide its ultrathin, low-mass, radiation-hardened solar blankets providing a minimum of 20 kilowatts (kW) of power for Atmos spacecraft. Solestial's photovoltaic system will be demonstrated on Atomos's first mission, scheduled for February 2024, and then will provide primary power for Atomos's solar-electric orbital transfer vehicles ("OTVs") on two subsequent commercial missions, beginning in late 2024.

Both companies are 2019 Techstars accelerator alumni and will be demonstrating large scale viability of their technology in operational missions beginning in 2024. The partnership will allow both Solestial and Atomos to further their goals through close collaboration over the coming years.

Atomos is developing high-power OTVs to provide a range of in-space transportation services to satellite operators. The use of high-power electric propulsion, enabled by Solestial's technology, allows Atomos to perform challenging missions with unprecedented speed. After the initial demonstration, the following shipsets of solar blankets from Solestial will power two OTVs providing deployment services to constellation operators in low Earth orbit ("LEO") and relocation services to operators in other orbits, respectively.

Agreement for Solar Blankets Opens a New Phase for Solestial

The agreement with Atomos signals the beginning of a new phase for Solestial, as the company begins to scale commercial commitments and delivery in parallel with completing technical testing. In May, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission ("CEA") independently validated the ability of Solestial's ultrathin silicon solar cells to effectively anneal radiation damage under sunlight at 90°C. Solestial solar blankets are proving to be an affordable, scalable alternative to traditional space photovoltaics, ready for design-in to missions being planned today.

"Solestial is an important partner for us," said Vanessa Clark, Atomos Co-Founder and CEO. "It was clear that traditional space solar was too expensive and too supply-constrained to support our high-power OTV design. We were attracted to Solestial's solution as they provided the best combination of solar array specific mass performance, radiation hardness, and affordability available on the market today."

"We are inspired by Atomos's mission and humbled by their confidence in us," said Stan Herasimenka, Solestial Co-Founder and CEO. "It's an exciting time in the space industry and we're excited to be in a position to power groundbreaking, innovative missions like these."

(Source: Solestial news release. Images provided)