Increasing the TRL Level of New PV Technologies Using Modular Solar Panels

Implementing new solar panel technology is often hampered by the difficulty in obtaining flight heritage and integrating experimental technology into conventional panels. Modular solar panel technology overcomes this limitations by allowing substitution of an experimental module into a modular flight arrays using mostly conventional modules. The approach also allows the benefits of full-scale testing when test article sizes are limited, and easier repairability by allowing damaged modules to be unplugged and repaired off-line. The Modular Solar Array with Integrated Construction (MOSAIC) technology described in this paper is being flight tested on an experiment called MATRS (Modular Array Technology for Reconfigurable Spacecraft). The flight test unit includes modules with conventional space cells, as well as advanced modules incorporating 4-junction IMM cells to demonstrate the ease of ground integration and replacement of the modular approach, incorporation of experimental modules in flight, and life cycle performance.