Flight test of a technology transparent light concentrating panel on SMEX/WIRE

A flight experiment has demonstrated a modular solar concentrator that can be used as a direct substitute replacement for planar photovoltaic panels in spacecraft solar arrays. The light concentrating panel (LCP) uses an orthogrid arrangement of composite mirror strips to form an array of rectangular mirror troughs that reflect light onto standard, high-efficiency solar cells at a concentration ratio of approximately 3:1. The panel area, mass, thickness, and pointing tolerance has been shown to be similar to a planar array using the same cells. Concentration reduces the panel's cell area by 2/3, which significantly reduces the cost of the panel. An opportunity for a flight experiment module arose on NASA's Small Explorer/Wide-Field Infrared Explorer (SMEX/WIRE) spacecraft, which uses modular solar panel modules integrated into a solar panel frame structure. The design and analysis that supported implementation of the LCP as a flight experiment module is described. Easy integration into the existing SMEX LITE wing demonstrated the benefits of technology transparency. Right data shows the stability of the LCP module after nearly one year in low Earth orbit.