Advanced space power technology

Photovoltaics continue to be the primary source of electrical power for most near-Sun space missions. The desire to enhance or enable new space missions through higher efficiency, increased specific power density, increased volumetric power density and improved radiation resistance, along with decreased costs, continues to push the development of novel solar cell and array technologies. To meet present and future space power requirements, advanced multijunction solar cells and novel cell technologies are being pursued. These efforts have resulted in a continual advancement in performance, but new paradigms will be required to continue that performance trend. Similarly, new array technologies are being investigated and developed to meet the ever increasing power system performance requirements.