An analysis of eight-year operation of GaAs solar array at space station "MIR"

At the initial period of the station operation it was necessary to meet rather hard requirements for specific characteristics of the major solar panel achievement of output power of 10 kW at an actual area of 70 m/sup 2/. In order to meet requirements of long-term operation gallium-arsenide was chosen as the basic material for the solar array. At that time the technology of GaAs-solar cells was on a batch production basis at SPA 'KVANT' and it was successfully used for solar array manufacturing of an automatic station going to Venus, apparatus 'Lunokhod' and at a number of satellites of 'Kosmos' series. For the first time a solar array of 10 kW high-efficiency heteroepitaxial (Ga/sub 1-x/Al/sub x/As-p-GaAs-n-GaAs) solar cell has been developed and used. The main results of this RandD programme are discussed.