Solar Cell Measurement System for NPS Spacecraft Architecture and Technology Demonstration Satellite, NPSAT1

Abstract

Rapid changes in semiconductor technologies over the last decade have spawned new interest in developing higher efficiency solar cells which are capable of using a broader part of the light spectrum. The Naval Postgraduate School’s NPSAT1, launching in the Spring of 2006, will include a subsystem which can be used to measure the performance of the new solar cells, providing an ability to combine functions previously available on only individual discrete components onto a single chip. The ability can help make space more accessible by reducing cost and complexity.