Small satellites powered by GaAs technology: MINISAT 1, UNAMSAT, SPACEQUEST, SAFIR 2, SAC-C

摘要

The European GaAs photovoltaic technology for space applications has been developed since early'80. With the support of the ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) and in harmonisation with the ESA (European Space Agency), GaAs photovoltaic technology for space applications has been developed in Italy by FIAR S.p.A., a Finmeccanica company, and CISE S.p.A., a research company belonging to ENEL, the Italian public electric company. A wide ground testing activity and the realisation of solar panels for technological missions let to qualify the technology and to propose competitive generators in the commercial arena winning commercial programmes world-wide: the Danish Oersted, the Spanish Minisat-1, the Argentinean SAC-A, the Mexican Unamsat-B, the US SpaceQuest constellation, the German Safir-2 and the Italian MegSat. In addition, FIAR is now in charge for the design and manufacture of the complete deployable solar array of the new Argentinean scientific satellite named SAC-C; this project involves CISE for GaAs solar cells manufacturing and Rome based Oerlikon-Contraves S.p.A. for the design and manufacturing of the mechanical parts of the solar array. All latest solar arrays are realised using GaAs/GaAs or GaAs/Ge space solar cells growth with MOCVD technology using state-of-the-art reactos for mass production. Main performances of the above realisations are presented together with the on-going technological and manufacturing improvements in progress in order to offer more powerful and cost comptetitive GaAs solar arrays for commercial satellites.