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Flexell Space manufacturing facility completed on the 11th
“We can produce 20 solar cells, each 20cm by 20cm, per day. If we operate year-round, this can be considered a pilot facility with the capacity to supply enough cells for about one large satellite.”
Upon entering the pilot manufacturing facility of domestic space company Flexell Space (hereinafter Flexell) in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, which held its completion ceremony on the 11th, advanced equipment for making solar cells was gleaming under the lights. Flexell's space-grade tandem solar cells are next-generation cells that maximize power generation efficiency by combining perovskite and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) thin films.
Devices that travel into Earth's orbit or space, such as satellites, typically rely on solar power for their energy source. Existing solar cells are hampered by their weight and efficiency. Flexell aims to commercialize ultra-lightweight and low-cost tandem solar cells. This is the first time the company has built and unveiled its pilot manufacturing facility. The plan is to expand it into a mass-production facility capable of producing 5 million units annually by the second half of 2027.
Noh Shin-young, CTO of Flexell, who introduced the facility, explained, “The optimal process is different for each layer of the solar cell,” as he introduced the core manufacturing equipment. A robotic arm in the center moves samples to the necessary processing chambers in sequence. The samples do not need to leave the equipment until the process is complete.
Perovskite is vulnerable to moisture due to its chemical properties being similar to salt. This is why Flexell carefully prepared a 'clean room' and manufacturing equipment that can maintain a vacuum and remove moisture throughout the solar cell manufacturing process.
One area was also equipped with equipment to test the solar cells in an environment similar to a satellite's actual operating conditions. In a vacuum, it can replicate 'AM0 (Air Mass Zero) sunlight'—the sunlight before it passes through the atmosphere—using LEDs and variably adjust the temperature from -150°C to +150°C.
CTO Noh explained, “AM0 itself is uncommon, but a solar cell performance measurement device that can implement variable temperatures of plus or minus 150°C is unique in Korea.” Measuring the effects of space radiation, aside from vacuum and temperature, requires separate equipment available at institutions like the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
Flexell currently produces tandem cells by manually bonding the perovskite and CIGS parts. The company plans to automate this process as production increases. The CIGS part is currently sourced externally, but Flexell expects to secure CIGS production equipment by the end of this year through a technology transfer with the Korea Institute of Energy Research.
Flexell is a space solar cell company that started as an in-house venture of Hanwha Systems in 2023. CEO Ahn Tae-hoon of Flexell founded the company after personally experiencing supply issues with solar cells while in charge of satellite business at Hanwha Systems. The business scope is expanding as demand for solar power grows from not only satellite manufacturers but also space data centers and private space stations.
According to Yoo Young-joon, Head of the Space Business Division at Hanwha Systems, who attended the ceremony, satellites made in Korea still import all of their solar cells from abroad. Satellite solar cells must withstand space radiation and extreme temperature changes, so they use gallium arsenide-based multi-junction solar cells instead of common silicon ones. Companies in a few countries, such as the United States and Germany, dominate the technology, making the manufacturing process complex and material costs high.
Flexell has developed a technology that can replace this with a tandem structure combining perovskite and CIGS thin films instead of gallium arsenide. The use of a thin-film process significantly reduces weight and lowers material costs, providing a competitive price advantage, he explained. Yoo said, “Thanks to Flexell Space, we will no longer have to rely on foreign countries and will be able to secure lighter satellite solar cells at a lower cost domestically.”
The research community is also paying attention to Flexell. Flexell's tandem solar cells are manufactured in a thin film form, making them lightweight and able to be bent or rolled as needed. They are suitable for loading onto satellites, which have significant weight and volume constraints, and manufacturing costs can be reduced to as much as one-tenth of existing costs.
Woo Seong-hyun, a principal researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Satellite and Space Exploration Research Institute, said, “In the process of preparing core technologies for space station development and deep space exploration, a high-efficiency, lightweight solar panel that can supply the necessary power over the long term was needed.” According to CEO Ahn, Flexell has already provided solar cell samples to KARI and plans to pursue full-scale cooperation in the future.
Last week, Flexell signed a supply contract with Hanwha Systems worth a total of 4.5 billion won until July 2027. It is conducting the first phase of planning research for the Space Core Technology Development Program with the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and is preparing for the second phase. CEO Ahn said, “Lockheed Martin, Terran Orbital, Airbus, and SpaceX are waiting for our solar cells.”
In-space verifications are also underway. Flexell launched its 5th generation solar cells aboard Inha University's satellite 'INHARoSAT' on November 27 last year. In August of this year, an astronaut is scheduled to test the solar cells directly on the International Space Station (ISS). In the first half of 2027, it will conduct a geostationary orbit test with the Italian space company D-Orbit. A proposal to include its solar cells in the 6th launch of Nuri in 2027 has already been submitted.
