Anna Forrester
Iridium Communications has completed a series qualification tests on a new design Spectrolab and Mitsubishi Electric developed for the solar panel arrays that will be fitted to the Iridium NEXT satellites.
Iridium said Tuesday the design consists of four panels that span approximately 30 feet and generate at least 2 kilowatts of power via triple-junction solar cells.
Scott Smith, Iridium chief operating officer, said the new design targets efficiency, longevity and performance of the NEXT satellites.
NEXTÂ is scheduled to start launches next year, Iridium noted.
The company said it worked with Spectrolab to conduct the qualification program and design verification test using a simulation of the satellite’s charging environment on lower Earth orbit.
Spectrolab is part of the Iridium NEXT Mission Team alongside Mitsubishi Electric and prime contractor Thales Alenia Space.
