These triple-junction cells can convert more of the sun's rays into spacecraft power than any other solar cell currently available. This latest innovation comes 14 months after Spectrolab's first successful flight of dual-junction solar cells on PanAmSat Corp.'s PAS-5, a Hughes-built HS 601 satellite.

Spectrolab's gallium arsenide triple-junction solar cells are the result of more than two years of development and mark another first in the Hughes telecommunications legacy. These more efficient cells could be operating on satellites in space by the end of 1999 and use many materials which have already established a solid performance record in space, thereby eliminating the need for costly requalification.

"We are very excited at the possibilities of using these triple-junction solar cells, because we have taken the already highly efficient dual-junction solar cells and have increased their efficiency by another 20 percent," said Dieter Zemmrich, president of Spectrolab.

"In 1997 our newest solar cell converted 21.6 percent of the sun's rays into power. In 1999 our solar cells will convert 26.8 percent, and by 2002 we hope to further improve the design to convert 30 to 40 percent of the sun's rays into spacecraft power. When you compare this to the 12.3 percent conversion efficiency of a silicon solar cell, you can see we've made tremendous improvements in order to help our customers maximize their on-orbit performance and increase revenue."

The added efficiency makes it possible to have either a lighter, smaller array of equivalent power or a more powerful array with no increase in size. Improved efficiency means a reduction in manufacture, launch, and on-orbit operational costs.

Spectrolab has headquarters in Sylmar, Calif., and is a leading supplier of solar cells, solar panels, searchlights, and solar simulators. The company, founded in 1956, has been supplying solar array panels to the space industry for 40 years. Pioneer 1, launched in 1958, carried Spectrolab's first body-mounted panels. The following year, Explorer 6 became the first satellite to use Spectrolab's solar arrays instead of body-mounted panels.

SolarCell Reports From Spacer.Com