An American company develops a new solar panel technology for spacecraft, capable of withstanding radiation with an energy conversion efficiency of 33.3%.
Illustration of a spacecraft equipped with large solar panels. (Photo: iStock)
The new solar panel technology from American company Rocket Lab is entering the final quality testing phase and is expected to be ready for commercial use by the end of this year, Interesting Engineering reported on March 17. This technology is named IMM-β, invented by SolAero, a space solar energy company that Rocket Lab acquired in January.
The new solar panels utilize patented Inverted MetaMorphic (IMM) technology, achieving an energy conversion efficiency of approximately 33.3%. Additionally, they are 40% lighter than traditional solar panels used in space. For space missions, reducing weight is a significant advantage, as the launch process can cost millions of dollars depending on the payload weight.
Rocket Lab expects IMM-β to be the highest-efficiency solar technology when produced at scale. This technology averages an efficiency of 33.3%, surpassing the current IMM-a technology’s 32%. The IMM-β solar panels also have excellent radiation resistance with an estimated lifespan of around 15 years in geostationary orbit.
Founded in 1998 and acquired by Rocket Lab in 2022, SolAero has produced solar panels and composite structural products for over 1,000 space missions. Over the past two decades, SolAero’s products have contributed to the success of many major missions, including the Parker Solar Probe, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Mars lander Insight, and several Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS).
With the support of Rocket Lab, the new solar panel technology will soon be launched, powering space missions that aim to unravel the universe’s oldest mysteries in the future.
