Space Machines Company (SMC) and SunDrive Solar have started a research and development collaboration to design, build, and test solar panels for spacecraft.
The commercially driven partnership aims to establish an Australian-made source of solar arrays for spacecraft.
The collaboration combines SunDrive’s copper-metallised solar cell technology with SMC’s expertise in spacecraft structures, thermal engineering and integration.
Related article: Optimus primed: Aussie flexible solar launched into space
The first phase runs to April 2027 and will produce a body-mounted solar panel for SMC’s next-generation Optimus Viper spacecraft, plus prototype flight-sized panels.
The body-mounted panel will go through environmental testing, including thermal-vacuum and vibration testing. That testing will produce the engineering and performance data needed to move towards a flight-ready product.
Solar arrays are among the most critical and costly parts of any spacecraft. Australian satellite programs currently depend on imported space-grade arrays, which limits both cost and supply. Both companies see a market for lower-cost, locally developed solar arrays priced for spacecraft built and deployed at scale. Such arrays could power future Australian spacecraft, reduce reliance on overseas suppliers and strengthen Australia’s sovereign space manufacturing base.
Space Machines Company co-founder and CEO Rajat Kulshrestha said, “This collaboration began because two Australian companies saw a commercial reason to work together. Other nations are moving quickly to secure their space supply chains, and partnerships like this are how Australia builds capability that lasts.”
SunDrive was founded to take Australian solar innovation to the world. The Sydney-based company’s proprietary direct-copper plating technology replaces silver with abundant copper, enabling high-efficiency, scalable solar cells with lower reliance on critical materials.
Its copper heterojunction (HJT) cells, which have delivered record-breaking results on Earth, are ultra-thin and lightweight. Those qualities matter in orbit, where every gram of array mass is a trade against payload. Optimus Viper gives the technology its first spacecraft application, designed for the conditions of Low Earth Orbit.
Space is one of the toughest environments for photovoltaic technology; the panels must survive launch vibration, vacuum, and extreme thermal cycling while staying as light as possible. Testing to spacecraft standards is a key step towards flight heritage, which satellite manufacturers use as a benchmark when choosing components.
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.
This work will provide the critical design and test data to develop the path towards a flight-ready, Australian-made solar array for commercial spacecraft.
For SunDrive, the collaboration marks an important milestone in bringing its proven technology to the space sector, one of the most demanding energy applications there is. As the global space economy accelerates, demand is growing for power systems that are high-performance, resilient, lightweight and scalable.
Related article: Perovskite solar cells launch for space demonstration
Both companies want more of that value chain to stay in Australia.
SunDrive Solar CEO Natalie Malligan said, “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.”
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