Australian solar cell technology innovator SunDrive Solar has teamed with Space Machines Company (SMC) to accelerate the development of its copper-based heterojunction (HJT) solar cell technology, aiming to establish a source of Australian-made solar arrays for commercial spacecraft and satellites.
Spun out of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), SunDrive has developed a proprietary copper electroplating technology that replaces silver in solar cell metallisation, aiming to reduce manufacturing costs and improve efficiency.
The company’s cells, which have delivered record-breaking results, are ultra-thin and lightweight, qualities that SunDrive co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Vince Allen said matter in orbit, where every gram of array mass is a trade against payload.
“SunDrive’s copper HJT technology brings together the ultra-thin, lightweight and high-efficiency performance needed for next-generation spacecraft solar arrays,” he said. “And applying that to SMC’s Optimus Viper program is a great opportunity to demonstrate what Australian innovation can achieve in the demanding environment of Low Earth Orbit.”
Under the research and development collaboration SunDrive will work with SMC, which is focused on developing sovereign space transportation capabilities for Australia, to produce a body-mounted solar panel for the company’s Optimus Viper spacecraft, a 200 kg vehicle designed for autonomous operations across Low Earth Orbit.
SunDrive will lead cell selection, module design, lamination and electrical characterisation. SMC will lead substrate design, structural and thermal analysis of the panel, assembly and testing, and mounting the panel on a structural model of Optimus Viper. The two companies will jointly develop the process for bonding solar modules to the panel substrate.
The parties said the body-mounted panel will be subjected to environmental testing, including thermal-vacuum and vibration testing, which will produce the engineering and performance data needed to move towards a flight-ready solar array.
SMC co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Rajat Kulshrestha said solar arrays are among the most critical and costly parts of any spacecraft and Australian satellite programs currently depend on imported space-grade arrays, which limits both cost and supply.
“This collaboration began because two Australian companies saw a commercial reason to work together,” he said. “Other nations are moving quickly to secure their space supply chains, and partnerships like this are how Australia builds capability that lasts.”
SunDrive CEO Natalie Malligan said demand is growing for power systems that are high-performance, resilient, lightweight and scalable and both companies want more of that value chain to stay in Australia.
“As the global space economy rapidly accelerates, Australia is well-placed to seize the opportunity, not just to participate, but to build and own the critical technologies that will underpin it,” she said.
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