A linear refractive photovoltaic concentrator solar array flight experiment
- AEC-Able Engineering Co., Inc., Goleta, CA (United States)
- NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)
Concentrator arrays deliver a number of generic benefits for space including high array efficiency, protection from space radiation effects, and minimized plasma interactions. The line focus concentrator concept delivers two added advantages: (1) low-cost mass production of the lens material and, (2) relaxation of precise array tracking requirements to only a single axis. New array designs emphasize lightweight, high stiffness, stow-ability and ease of manufacture and assembly. The linear refractive concentrator can be designed to provide an essentially flat response over a wide range of longitudinal pointing errors for satellites having only single-axis tracking capability. In this paper the authors address the current status of the SCARLET linear concentrator program with special emphasis on hardware development of an array-level linear refractive concentrator flight experiment. An aggressive, 6-month development and flight validation program, sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and NASA Lewis Research Center, will quantify and verify SCARLET benefits with in-orbit performance measurements.
- OSTI ID:
- 163371
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950729--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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